


THE CHEAT CODE II: A Dream Worth Keeping

by FairyGodmoose



Series: The Cheat Code [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-05-15
Updated: 2006-04-20
Packaged: 2018-03-14 10:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 68,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3407288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyGodmoose/pseuds/FairyGodmoose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The two years are up, and Emma, Dia, and Jake, have decided to let the Heartless into the real world. Now, Sora and Co. have to team up with some new friends to stop Guardian from destroying the U.S.!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Juu Senshi

**Author's Note:**

> I originally published this series on Fanfiction.net in 2005, when I was eleven years old. Thanks to a fit of nostalgia, I decided to repost it on AO3. Reviews and critique are always welcome, just know that you're lobbying any suggestions a decade after the fact.

"I can't believe it's finally summer vacation!" Jake squealed. "We can go to a water park!"

Emma laughed as she and Jake walked to the Quinn Residence from the elementary school that they now shared. "Hold on, Mom and Taylor are getting married tomorrow. They'll go on a…honeymoon."

Jake was now nine, barely old enough to know why Emma cringed. "Yuck. I wonder who'll baby-sit us?"

"Dia, I guess. She's eighteen." They turned the corner. "Oh, great. That girl."

An Asian-looking girl was talking to Dia. "The other members of the Alpha Wolf Gang and I have decided ta stop beatin' on ya under one condition."

"SIS!" Jake yelled, ignoring the tall girl and running to his sister. "Sis, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Dia replied.

"You have a bruise on your cheek…" Jake stood on tip-toe to see Dia's face.

The other girl growled. "Go away, munchkins. Quinn an' I are settlin' a big-kid matter. Go find a sandbox."

Jake looked her in the eye. "Yeah? Well, I'm a Quinn too!"

"Jake!" Emma pulled him back. "Um…he doesn't mean it. We, uh, really have to get home…"

"I'm not done wit' Quinn. If ya want her, ya hafta fight me."

"Cut it out, Robin!" Dia pushed her back.

Emma sighed and glanced eerily at her. "You don't want to mess with me."

"Oh, really? I'm shakin' in my boots!" Robin smirked. "Whatcha gonna do, bite my ankles?"

Jake smiled. "No, sticks work better."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"HYAH!" Emma held up a stick and aimed for Robin's head.

"Not so fast, munchkin!" A red streak sent Emma flying back before she could even touch the teenager. Robin glared at them. "Quinn, next time ya sic yer munchkin army on me, you'll get a visit from the whole Alpha Wolf Gang." She strode away.

Emma got up and dusted herself off. "I'm sorry, Dia…thanks to us, it's two strikes, the three of us are out."

"No, it's my fault…I've been annoying that biker fanatic too much."

"About what?" Jake asked.

Dia remained silent and walked in the direction of home. When they were almost there, she said, "Guys…tomorrow's the day."

Jake nodded. "Yeah, the wedding! It's so exciting! Us and Emma will be step-siblings!" Though he still referred to Dia as 'Sis', he had left his stage of referring to Emma as 'Emmie'.

"That's not it. Do you remember what else tomorrow is?"

The other two thought carefully. "June 21st…" Emma murmured. "June 21st…" Her eyes shot open. "Oh! The two years! They're up!"

"That's what I've been annoying her about," Dia explained. "The red flash was a large gun. Its bullets…they're like energy, not real bullets. Like a video game weapon. I was asking her if she played Kingdom Hearts, but she said it was for babies…then she made me her gang's target. She seems to tough. And she is. But…maybe she's the ninth member of our Kingdom Hearts team."

… … …

The next day, Emma, Dia, and Jake were dressed up nice and put by Taylor and Alissa during the wedding. "1:58," Dia whispered. "We locked Kingdom Hearts around 2:00."

"What's our decision?" Jake sighed. "I don't want to ruin Dad and Alissa's big day…but I want to see the guys again."

"I even miss that Mary-Sue, Kairi…" Emma whined. "And that's saying something."

"I say we let the Heartless in," Dia decided.

Emma nodded. "Haiiro says only the U.S. will have Heartless. In Kingdom Hearts, we weren't going everywhere in the universe…just a few places. We can take care of the U.S., right?" More nods. "Let's do it."

A couple minutes later, Taylor and Alissa were saying the vows. "It's almost time." Dia checked her watch. "So we're letting them in?"

"We're letting them in." Jake reached out for the hands of his sister and his friend.

Dia and Emma both grabbed a hand. "Emma, in the game, you were in charge of worlds and people. Keep on thinking, 'let the Heartless in'." Dia started the countdown. "Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one…" She looked around. "Everything's….normal."

"Did it work?" Jake leaned forward to examine the churchyard. "Hey, a black claw!"

"What?" Emma squinted. "It's a Shadow!"

Shadows and Soldiers appeared, attacking the wedding guests. "Great! Seriously, this is great!" Dia unbuttoned her skirt and slipped it off. She rolled her eyes when she noticed Emma and Jake were staring blankly at her. "Don't worry, I'm wearing pants under this. Did you really think that someone like me would willingly wear a skirt? Come on, we need to go to one of our houses."

Emma turned. "Mine's closer. Let's go get the guys out of the game!"

… … …

"Pass the blitzball, Wakka!" Sora yelled. "I want to kick it!"

Wakka laughed. "Are you crazy, brudda? Last time I checked, you couldn't blitz."

"Try me!" Sora challenged.

"All right…" Wakka threw the blitzball. Sora jumped high and kicked the ball into a palm tree. It bounced off the tree and into the docks, then into Wakka's hand.

"You're really gettin' good, Sora!" Sora smiled. "If we ever get enough people for a team, you're so on mine!"

A green light shone through the doors of the shack by the water. Sora's smile got even bigger. "I'll be right back, Wakka."

He opened the door. "It's you three!"

Jake ran forward to hug Sora. "I missed you!"

Sora laughed. "Jake, you're getting pretty big!" He looked at Dia. "And you're getting even bigger than before! I can't believe it's been two years real-world time! And Emma…your haircut's pretty good."

Emma stared in disbelief. "My hair? That's all you have to say?"

"Yeah. So, we're needed in the real world, right?" Emma nodded. "I'll go get Riku and Kairi." He ran up the stairs and opened the door. "Kairi! Tell Riku to get his butt off the log! It's his little girlfriend!"

"Little? I'm your age, fourteen!"

"Guess again!" Sora looked, for some reason, proud. "My birthday was last week! I'm fifteen now!"

Dia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's nice." She cleared her throat. "RIIIIIIIKUUUUUU! KAIIIIIIIIIIIIRIIIIIIII! IT'S UUUUUUUUUUUUUUS!"

Kairi poked her head in. "Hey, guys! It's been two weeks…whoa! You guys got bigger!"

"WE'VE aged two years," Emma reminded her. Even though she had claimed to miss Kairi, she didn't seem to back that up.

Riku ran down, almost tripping on his feet. "Emma?" He pushed Kairi to the side to see Emma, Dia, and Jake, but mostly Emma. "Emma! You're here! And you're, what fourteen now? You've all gotten a lot taller."

Emma grinned at Sora. "Riku and Kairi noticed that I'm tall. How come you didn't?"

Sora pretended not to hear her. "You're in luck, Riku! Now that she's only a year younger than you, you can date her!"

"Shut. Up. Now," Riku instructed through clenched teeth. "The Heartless have probably wrecked the area around Emma's house already. Let's go!"

… … …

Jake picked up one of Emma's many Disney-themed pillows, one with a Bambi design. "Everything looks okay down here…"

Kairi stared at the PS2 in amazement. "Wow! All this time, we've been living in this…thing?"

Dia nodded. "I have one too. This is how we get into the game."

Nobody answered, because Sora, Kairi, and Riku were staring at Emma. "You're wearing glasses," Riku stated.

"Um, yeah. I need them in the real world." Emma walked over to the stairs. "There's a nearby city called Lincolnwood. Mom and I always stop at Lincolnwood Town Mall. If we take you three, you can get used to the real world before we go to O'Hare Airport. And-"

"Before we do that…" Dia interrupted. "We should check the damage. Hopefully, only the Chicago area got busted up." Everyone ran upstairs.

… … …

"I think Wizard Heartless have been here." Riku looked around the neighborhood. "Everything's all burnt up. They're the only types who can cast spells."

Jake shrugged. "Can't Defenders shoot fireballs?"

"I don't remember," Emma replied. "It's been two years since I've played...too many memories."

"If we take my car, we can get to Lincolnwood quicker." Dia stepped through the ashes towards her house, a few blocks away. The others followed.

Sora poked Emma's shoulder. "Are Donald and Goofy already here?"

Emma slapped her head. "I forgot about them! Kairi, I nominate you to go get them."

"I don't know how that machine works!"

"I'll go with her," Jake volunteered.

Dia turned around. "I think I can trust you two. I'll drive Emma, Sora, and Riku to the mall."

… … …

Luckily, Lincolnwood hadn't suffered from Heartless yet. Everyone got out. "Ah, the mall. I love this place." Emma walked towards the doors. "Come on. This place has everything. Suncoast, Waldenbooks, Fluky's, Electronic Boutique, KB Toys…"

"Why are you talking about it?" Riku complained. "Let's see it!"

People of all ages crowded Lincolnwood Town Mall. It was a bit hard to move around, but possible. "Where do we go first?" Dia wondered.

"We can split up. Dia, you take-"

"Sora," Dia finished. "You two lovebirds can go together."

Emma hit Dia's head lightly. "They sell knives here," she warned. "You've never seen an escalator, have you, Riku?" Riku shook his head. "They're moving stairs. On the way down, we can ride that see-through elevator." She grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the escalator.

"I just…step on?" Riku asked.

"Yup." Riku nodded and stepped on. He kept on walking up. Emma tapped him lightly. "You don't have to walk."

Riku obediently stopped. "It's moving!"

"That's what I said." Emma smiled. "I've been on these for a while. I haven't been amazed by them until, what, last week?" Riku looked oddly at her. "Walk down."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

He started walking down the up escalator. "I'm…not going anywhere…Emma…"

"That's the point. You get all dizzy."

"Um…I don't think it's…you know…boring."

Emma shrugged. "Random, meaningless activities are acquired tastes."

"Can I see the Kingdom Hearts case here?" Riku asked. "Would that Electronic Boutique place have it?"

"I think. It's mostly those new DS and PSP games." Riku looked confused. "Nevermind. We'll check."

Emma and Riku walked into the store, and Emma ran straight for the back. "The old games are back here. I'll get Kingdom Hearts."

"Hey!" The man at the desk stared. "I know who you are!"

Emma turned and stared. 'Uh, oh…'

He grinned. "You're that kid who shows up every year at the Wizard World convention, dressed as Riku from Kingdom Hearts!"

Riku sighed, relieved. "Um, yeah. Every year, that's me."

"Can I have an autograph?"

"Um…" Riku looked at Emma, who was mouthing, 'Not your real name!' He looked back at the man. "…sure." He took a piece of paper and a pen that the man shoved at him. An odd grin spread across his face. He wrote down a name, then ran over to Emma before the man could react. "Lemme see the cover."

"Here." Emma handed him the case.

Riku smiled. "This looks pretty cool. I'm on the cover!" He turned. "Um…run."

"What?"

"RUN!"

Riku ran out of the Electronic Boutique with Emma, the man following. "Why is he chasing us? What name did you put?"

"Well…" Riku smiled. "…I said my name was Seymour Butts."

Emma laughed. "You're scaring me." Suddenly, Riku skidded to a stop, and stared straight ahead. "What are you looking at?"

"Heartless," he hissed. A few Soldiers wobbled past. "We'll have to clear the area first. Where would Dia and Sora be?"

Emma put a finger on her chin. "Either Claire's, looking at all that spiked jewelry, or the food court."

"Hey, guys!" Dia was waving frantically from across the mall's bridge. "Over here! Jake and Kairi got Donald and Goofy!"

"Great!" Emma and Riku ran over. "Hey, guys! We have to clear out the mall, then we can show these five around."

Goofy shook his head. "We already know about this stuff."

Jake scratched his head. "You do?"

"King Mickey told us about it. He's been to a bunch of different worlds," Donald explained.

"Disney World, I guess…" Dia whispered to Emma. "Must've gotten a shock. All that merchandise with his face on it."

Sora took out the Ultima Weapon. "Less talking, more fighting!"

Emma peered over her glasses at the twenty-foot drop from the bridge. "I hope gravity changed…CANNONBALL!" She climbed onto the gold railing and jumped off.

"Emma!" Jake yelled.

"Don't worry." Emma waved from the floor. "Just like in the game, you have good footing when you fall."

Dia groaned. "You could've broke your head open, stupid!"

"We have Curaga again. Who cares?" She held out her hand. "Metal pole!" Nothing. "Um…Crystal Shurikens?"

"They're still in the game!" Kairi yelled down.

Emma shrugged. "I'll get some knives from that one store. We'll go in the same groups; Dia, take Sora. Jake, you go with Kairi. I'll go with you, Riku."

"What about us?" Donald asked, irritated.

"You two know enough about the real world to go on your own." Jake jumped off. "C'mon, Kairi!"

Kairi took a deep breath and stepped back. "Can I take those moving stairs?" Jake shook his head. "Coming…" she whined, then stood on the railing. "Twenty feet…twenty feet…" With a shiver and a shriek, she toppled off. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Get used to it, valley girl," Dia grunted, leaning over the ledge. "You're a part of the ten fighters now."

Sora, being the weirdo he was, wondered, "Should we give ourselves a group name? Ten Fighters is weird.

"In English, yes." Dia grinned. "Nothing is weird in Japanese. I mean, there's a JPOP song about a grunge hamster becoming more mature, and being accompanied by a lobster of revenge."

"Huh?" Sora looked quizzically at her.

Dia concentrated. "That's…uh…Juu Senshi! Kairi, you're a Senshi now. You can't be afraid of heights!" she called over the railing, then jumped. Just like lemmings, the others followed. "Group up!" They ran in different directions.

… … …

"Oriental Express." Emma ran into a now-empty shop. "I can't believe I jumped off and had to come back up."

Riku sifted through merchandise. "It's okay, I got to ride an elevator! That was really cool."

"It's even better if you sit on the banister, but we don't have time to do that right now." Emma walked over to a wall. "You have the Soul Eater, right?" Riku waved his sword around. "Good. I found some fake swords. Let's go!"

… … …

"Let us through, Fuudo!" Dia tried to push her way past Robin, who was blocking the entrance to a restaurant called Ruby Tuesday. "We need steak knives!"

Robin ignored her, but spoke to Sora. "You're Sora, aren'tcha?"

Sora glanced at Dia for an answer. "Yes," he said slowly. "Why?"

"Why're the Heartless here?" Robin demanded.

"You DO play Kingdom Hearts! I let them in. With the two kids you call my Munchkin Army."

"Stupid!" Robin hit Dia. "Why'dja let 'em in?"

"Sora and the guys are our friends. If we let them in and destroy them, we can go through the other games."

Robin crossed her arms. "Ya may be more selfish than me."

"We need your help, Fuudo. I know you have a Senshi weapon."

"A what?"

Dia shrugged. "A Kingdom Hearts weapon. Our group name is Juu Senshi now, and I know you're the ninth Senshi. I-" Robin pushed to the ground. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

"Shinku Cannon!" The red flash came again, and Robin was holding a large, shoulder-mounted gun. "Haiiro says that unless he gives ya a weapon in the real world, yer unarmed. Ya were in the way."

Practically legions of Darkball Heartless came at Robin, Dia, and Sora. "You know Haiiro?" Dia gasped.

"Yeah. He said I'm the ninth fighter, but I just wanna blow stuff up." An energy bullet came out of the Shinku Cannon. The Darkballs blew up, as well as a Defender behind them.

"You have to help!" Dia stood up. "You get to travel the U.S., and…and…just help us, Fuudo!"

Robin turned. "I only have summer school ahead 'a me this summer," she muttered. "An' I really dun wanna go there." She sighed. "Fer now. FER NOW. I guess…I'm a Senshi. If Haiiro wants me ta join…I guess I gotta. I owe 'im somethin'."

Dia smiled. "We have to show these guys the real world. Even though I said otherwise, I don't completely trust Donald and Goofy by themselves. Can you take them?"

"Hmph." Robin growled. "I dun like them. I wanna go with…someone who's not them."

"Fine, ya brat. You can switch with Jake, so you get…Kairi."

Robin's eyes went wide. "WHAT? HER? GIMME THOSE OLD MEN BACK!"

Dia and Sora laughed. "You don't know what you have until it's gone," he announced.


	2. Bernadette Soleil

"Hey, guys?" Emma looked at the other eight as they were about to split up again. "I think we should each get a number name."

Dia scratched her head. "Huh?

"We're the Juu Senshi. We should decided who's first, who's second, et cetera."

Sora raised his hand. "I'm the game's main character, so I'm first. I'm Senshi no Ichi. Donald, you're Senshi no Ni. Goofy, Senshi no San."

Emma nodded. "I was the first one to go into the game from the real world. I'm Senshi no Yon."

"Emma pushed me through the save point," Dia announced. "I'm Senshi no Go."

"Senshi no Rock, right?"

Kairi giggled. "You're Senshi no ROKU, Jake. Riku, you joined before me."

"So, I'm Senshi no Shichi."

"I'm Senshi no Hachi!" Kairi cheered.

Robin crossed her arms. "Fer now, I'm Senshi no Kyuu. The last girl'd be Senshi no Juu, but since it's so close ta Juu Senshi, she'll be the Last Fighter. Senshi no Saigo."

"Good." Emma smiled. "This way, we can say our Senshi names as cues. If we just say 'Robin, attack,' a major enemy would see you coming. They won't know who's coming if we say 'Senshi no Kyuu, attack'."

"Eh," she grunted. "C'mon, valley girl, I gotta show you 'round the mall."

She and the others split up into their real-world-orientation groups. None of them noticed a cat-like creature in the corner. "Myew…"

… … …

"This is good." Riku bit into a large cheese dog. "I can't believe I've been missing these for fifteen years…"

Emma smiled. "They ARE good, but they're pretty sloppy. There's this place called Waveland Bowl, and its cheese dogs are so sloppy, you need ten napkins, at LEAST."

"Whoa." Riku scooped some cheese off with a fry. "When I go back to Destiny Islands, I'm gonna miss this stuff." He prodded the hot cheese with another fry. "Do all American foods revolve around cheese?"

"Not really, but wait till you try Doritos!

He winced. "Great. More cheese."

… … …

"My favorite part of the mall!" Jake marched into KB Toys. "There are a bunch of toys here, and some of them have your faces on it!"

Goofy looked slightly disturbed. "My…face? Gawrsh, I don't want my face on a toy."

Donald groaned. "Not your REAL face, ya big palooka, a picture."

"Yup!" Jake ran over to a video game. "No offense, but this is probably the stupidest DDR ever."

"DDR?" Donald and Goofy asked.

Jake nodded. "Dance Dance Revolution, a dancing and reflexes game. This is DDR: Disney Mix." He held up a PS2 case with Mickey and Co. in disco outfits.

The royal knight was trying his hardest not to start ha-yucking. However, for Goofy, the hardest isn't hard. "LOOK AT THE KING!"

Obviously, this attracted the attention of what few customers were left. One girl was studying them suspiciously, but said nothing. "Way to go," Donald mumbled.

"Don't worry," Jake assured them. "She looks about twenty. She wouldn't know about Kingdom Hearts. Then again, every knows who you two are anyway. Just walk away."

The three of them edged out of the store. The girl turned back to a wall of anime toys. The cat-like creature climbed on top of her shoulder. She turned her head. "Coeur, I told you not to run off." 'Coeur' made some noises that sounded like a cross between squeaking and meowing. "Really? I thought so. But we shouldn't do anything yet."

"Myew?" Coeur licked her paw.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not just being shy. It's not the right time."

"Myew?" she repeated.

The girl sighed. "Because I said so."

… … …

"You said these were animes?"

Dia nodded. "Best anime store in the mall, Suncoast. Oh, check this out!"

"Check what-" Sora started. Dia shoved a plush monster with too many eyes to count into his arms. "What's this?"

"Hundred-Eyed Monster of Aaaaargh." She smiled, drawing out the word 'Aaaaargh', as if groaning.

Sora briefly attempted to check for a hundred eyes. "Okay…"

"He's from one of my favorite movies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. There's another toy from that movie here somewhere…aha!" With a triumphant grin, she thrust a little man in black armor in his face. "The Black Knight!"

"Um…" Sora plucked at one of his arms. It came off. "WHOA! It's broken!"

Dia grinned. "No, it's supposed to do that. And fake blood comes out."

Sora, like many cartoons, stupidly decided to stick his eye in the arm hole. Sure enough, red fabric shot out and poked him in the eye. "Hey!"

"Cool, huh?" She seemed impressed with the violent doll. "In the movie, he's only a little stump, with all his limbs cut off, but he just sits there." Sora looked grossed-out. "You wanna watch it?"

"No," he answered firmly.

… … …

"These American clothes are so cute!" Kairi was admiring some clothes in Kohl's. "Robin, look at these fringes!"

"Greeeeeaaaaat." Robin was leaning on a counter, chin in her hand. "Ya 'bout done?"

Kairi held out a light blue shirt with two small figures on it. "Look at this!" They were made out of little squares. The bigger one was green, and the smaller one was purple. "He's saying hi!" The green one looked like he was waving. At the bottom, it read, 'The innocent shall suffer…BIG TIME!'

Robin rolled her eyes. "Number 1, stop talking to me. Number 2, that's Inignot and Err from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Number 3, Inignot's not waving. He's flipping you off."

"Huh?" Kairi was puzzled.

Robin got an evil smile. "Do I need to demonstrate?"

"No, no!" Now, she was nervous. "I get it."

… … …

The girl and Coeur were sitting on a bench outside Lincolnwood Town Mall. "It's almost time, Coeur. He told me."

"Myew?"

The girl sighed. "What do you mean, 'he who'? You know." Sora and Co. walked by. The girl stood up and held out her hand. "Um…stop for a second."

"We don't want to buy anything," Dia told her.

"I don't want you to buy anything. I want to talk to you."

Robin grunted. "Loony…" She tried to walk past, but Coeur hissed at her. "Yeesh, more munchkins. Fine. What do you want?"

"My name is Bernadette Soleil," the girl announced.

"Frenchie, huh…" Robin mumbled.

"Coeur here…my small-spotted genet…heard you talking. If she's right, I'm what you call the…Senshi no Saigo?"

Everyone gasped. "Do you know Haiiro?" Emma pushed forward to look at Bernadette.

She scratched her head. "Yes. He gave me this fortune-telling power…and told me to find the Keyblade Master, and the rest of you."

"You said she was too old to play Kingdom Hearts!" Donald hissed at Jake.

"I'm…nineteen. Almost twenty…" Bernadette admitted.

"Can I hold Coeur?" Kairi squealed. The genet leapt onto her arm. "Aw! Guys, can she be an honorary Senshi?"

Emma shrugged. "Everything else today has been weird. Might as well make her Senshi no Meiyo."

"That IS weird," Kairi agreed cheerfully. "But she's so cute!"

A flash of light erupted, and Haiiro appeared. "The ten fighters have been collected."

"Juu Senshi," Emma corrected.

Haiiro looked oddly at them. "Yes…Juu Senshi. The Juu Senshi have been collected. You must leave for your next destination now."

"Don't I have to lock Lincolnwood?"

"No. This is like Traverse Town; you will return to lock it." Haiiro looked down at the Juu Senshi. "You are going next to a fake Native American reservation in Indiana. It was the site of a camp to learn about different tribes."

Emma grinned. "The Flapping Monkey Reservation!"

"I went there when I was six!" Dia exclaimed.

"So did I!"

Robin sighed and crossed her arms. "I was dragged there…that's how I first met Quinn, but I forgot."

Dia growled. "You were the one who put whipped cream in my hand and ticked me with a feather duster, Fuudo! How did you forget?"

"I've annoyed lotsa people. It's hard ta remember which ones I've hit."

"SHUT UP, FUUDO!"

"MAKE ME, QUINN!"

"PIG!"

"DOOKIE!"

Robin stared. "Did…didjya just call me…dookie?" Dia nodded. "As in…poop?" Another nod. "Yer a freak, Quinn."

"DOOKIE!" Dia repeated.

"DOOKIE!" Jake cheered.

"DOOKIE!" Emma yelled.

"It's only a model," Bernadette told them. They stared. "It's a…Monty Python and the…Holy Grail line…"

Dia clamped onto her arm. "A Monty Python fan?" Bernadette looked at the ground. "Awesome! Let's sing that song from Holy Grail all the way to the car!"

"Aw, great…" Robin hit herself in the head.

"We're Knights of the Round Table! We dance whene'er we're able! We do routines, and chorus scenes, and footwork impeccable! We dine well here in Camelot, we eat ham, and jam, and spam a lot!"

Haiiro nearly sweatdropped. "Emma, here are your stones. The power has lessened, but you can use them whenever you want, and quicker." Emma took her necklace. "This is the Hikari Sword," He continued, extending a shimmering, golden sword.

"Thanks!" Emma took the sword. "This is awesome!"

"Jake, I have given you another shield; the Ikiteiru Shield." Haiiro handed him a shield with a spiked designs and a circle in the center. "According to the prophecy, you are the animist. You could control creatures, like when you made Shiva and Guardian talk, and now you can control objects in addition. Tell the shield to animate something, and it will leap up and attack. Because of that, this is a defensive shield, not an offensive one. But it is a terrific protector."

"Wow!" Jake picked it up and pointed it at a lamppost. "Animate!" The lamppost jumped up and took a whack at the bench Bernadette and Coeur were sitting on before. "Wow! Sis, look!" He ran over to Dia and Bernadette, who were still singing.

Haiiro handed Emma a staff. "This is for Dia: the Shihaii Wand."

"The Control Wand…she can still control people?"

"She IS the possessor," Haiiro confirmed. "This gives her control over Heartless too, not just control over how…feminine the more powerful dark captains are, like Taylor, Guardian-"

"Taylor?" Emma asked. "Why Taylor?"

Haiiro put his hand on his head. "Since Ansem has disappeared, Guardian has taken your friends' father."

"No…" Emma plopped onto the ground, holding the Shihaii Wand. "…Jake…Dia…they couldn't hit their own dad…I can't tell them."

"One of us has to. Do not worry, Emma; they are strong. They will not take it too hard."

Emma smiled. "You're right, Haiiro. We gotta go." She, the game characters, and Robin went to the car.

Dia was grinning as she and Bernadette continued the song.

"In war, we're tough and able! Quite indefatigable! Between our quests, we sequin vests, and impersonate Clark Gable! It's a busy life in Camelot…"

Bernadette finished the singing part solo in a low, manly voice. "…I have to push the pram a looooooooooot!"

She and Dia ended with, "Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo, DOOOOOOOOOO!"

Riku laughed. "What was that?"

"A song that Bernie and I like," Dia explained.

"Bernie?"

Bernie nodded. "Dia wants to call me Bernie. I think it's good for me to have a nickname." Coeur meowed in approval of her owner's new name.

Dia stuck the car keys in the slot. "Well, to the Flapping Monkey Reservation we go!" Sora, Riku, Kairi, Emma, Dia, Jake, Robin, Bernie, and Coeur drove off.


	3. Bernie's Story

"Wow, this goes fast!" Bernie pressed her face against the minivan window. "Look at all the trees! They're like blurs!"

Coeur nuzzled her owner. "Myew!" she agreed.

Kairi stroked the genet's head. "You're so cute, Coeur."

"Hey, Bernie?" Emma turned around in her seat. "Doesn't Coeur mean 'heart' in French?"

"Oui, Mademoiselle Emma." Bernie looked away from the glass and smiled.

"Does it have anything to do with Kingdom Hearts?"

She nodded. "Again, oui. She was one of Haiiro's three gifts; fortune-telling, the Uranaishi Gloves…" Bernie held up a hand, which was covered by an orange, fingerless glove. "…and Coeur. She's supposed to have some sort of magical powers, but I'm not sure of what they are."

"How did you meet Haiiro?" Jake asked. There were only seven seats in the minivan, so he was sitting on Emma's lap, and Emma was sitting in the trunk. However, the trunk had rolled up sleeping bag, and was connected to the rest of the car like a normal seat, so it was relatively comfortable.

Bernie scratched her head. "You really want to hear the whole story?" Everyone except Dia, who was driving, and Robin, who couldn't care less about most things, nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, then! Here goes."

… … …

FLASHBACK

I sat in my basement, playing Kingdom Hearts A few of my friends laughed at me, because I was seventeen at the time, but I liked it. I had just beaten the game when I got a call. I picked up the phone, and a strange voice started talking.

"Is this Miss Soleil?" it asked. I gave a little 'Mmm-hmm'. It said, "Good…I…huh? What?" He seemed to be talking with someone on his end. "Really? But why should I…I do NOT care, Haiiro. I pick…why?" He was silent. I heard a faint voice similar to this guy's. "Is that so? Well, then. I suppose…yes. You are technically me, so I suppose you are smart. Hmm? Yes. Miss Soleil?"

"Yeah…?" I asked, very confused. Who was this guy? And who was Haiiro?

The guy chuckled. "Uh…wrong number." He hung up.

I sighed and plopped down on my beanbag chair. "That was weird."

… … …

That night, I had a weird dream. A man that looked like Ansem talked to me. He said he was the other guy, Haiiro, and explained what the phone call was about. A girl from Chicago named Emma Baecker had been chosen instead of me to destroy Sora. "Do not feel left out. She was chosen because of her love for the game, and because she had beaten it many times," he told me.

"I wanted to go in the game!" I whined. Thinking back, I feel selfish. Now that the Heartless are in the real world, I know how Emma must've felt. At the time, she was the only one who could protect Sora and fix the game for good. I just wanted to play.

Haiiro laughed. "So does she. But she has accepted her mission, which will become yours."

"Mine?" I asked.

"Yes. In two years, you will get two powers. I will give you one right now. This is Coeur." A small, cat-like thing pranced out from behind Haiiro. "She has unique abilities, but they will not awaken until the time comes. Keep her safe."

I carefully picked her up. "These small-spotted genets are pretty common sights in France," I murmured. "Even if we live in Wisconsin now, my parents won't make a big deal if I say she's a pet. Pretty big genet fans." Coeur took on a human-like expression as she watched me talk to myself, so I talked to her. "You'll love my house, Coeur."

"Myew!"

… … …

The next year, my mom announced I had gotten into Northwestern College in Illinois. "You'll only be a state away, so we can see each other every weekend!" she gushed in a way that only a mom can.

"Yeah, that's…nice, Mom…" I replied quietly. Coeur rolled her eyes. I don't know if that was a power or not, but sometimes, she was almost human.

Dad smiled. "If you want, you can go next summer, and stay in the dorms until the term starts!"

"YES." My eyes shot open. "I want to go early."

Coeur pawed my head. "Myew?"

I mumbled, "Haiiro says that I have to find the girl who was chosen instead of me, one year from now. It's been a year since he said two years."

"Myew." Knowing that was the best answer she'd get, my animal pal relaxed and tapped her thin, speckled tail against my back. "Myew." The second one was more like a sigh than a comment.

"Don't worry, you'll like Illinois."

Coeur leapt off my shoulder and trotted back to bed. "Myew, myeeeeeeew myew…"

I blinked. "Why would we be dragged all over the US? We're just meeting that girl in Chicago!" Coeur stopped in her tracks. "What do you know that I don't?"

Dad chuckled. "Talking to your genet again, Bernadette?" He ruffled my hair, making it look even frizzier than usual. "Let's eat out in honor of your acceptance!"

"Okay. I want to go to that big restaurant near the Great Wolf Lodge with the good cheese curds." I ran after Coeur, then scooped her up like…well, some things are better left unsaid. "You're coming too. And you're explaining everything."

… … …

"The two years are almost up."

In my dream, I nodded to Haiiro. "Coeur told me. I made her tell everything…"

Coeur suddenly materialized. "Myew…" She licked her scraped tail. I admit, I got a little rough during the interrogation.

"Coeur!" I screeched. "What're you doing here?"

"Myew." She yawned and curled up on the floor of the dark space that was my mind.

I put a finger on my chin. "Human-like expressions…the ability to pop into my dreams at will. Two powers so far…" I looked desperately at the man who had given her to me. "…but when do the really COOL powers kick up?"

"When the time comes. That reminds me…when you get to Illinois, you will meet up with the girl, the game characters, and three of her real-world teammates. They all have a special ability. You are the seer." A pair of open gloves and a light floated to me. "These are your last powers."

I slipped the gloves on. "No weapon?"

"These ARE weapons," Haiiro explained. "Try to use magic."

"Um…" I held out one hand. "Firaga!" Nothing happened. "Oh, yeah. Too early. Fire!" A flame shot out of my hand. "Thunder!" Lightning nearly struck Coeur. "Sorry! Blizzard!" A cold wind blasted through the area. "Cool! Um…do I have Water?"

Haiiro shrugged, but he had a knowing expression. "Who knows?"

"Water!" A pail's worth of water dumped on my face. "Stupid gloves…" I murmured. Pushing many a strand of hair out of my face, I asked, "What powers do the others have?"

"Emma is the elementalist. The next, Dia, is a possessor. She made Ansem act very feminine, along with Maester Seymour Guado."

I gasped. "She got to go into FFX too?"

Haiiro nodded. "Yes. Moving along, Dia's younger brother, Jake, is an animist. At the moment, he can make creatures speak and do other humanlike things."

Coeur was my first thought. "Did that Jake do this to Coeur? Make her act human?"

He looked a little uncomfortable. "There is another reason for that. You will find out sooner or later. The next, Robin, has not been found yet. Her is strength. Even fist attacks are extra strong, but she cannot take too many hits. You are the seer, and can vaguely figure out what the future brings. I must leave you now." He disappeared.

"Myew!" Coeur stood up and also disappeared. Finally, I disappeared.

… … …

A week later, or two days ago, same thing, we arrived in Illinois. Our car was attacked by Heartless, so we had to walk a few miles, but it was fine. I decided to get a few Heartless before coming to Chicago, where Haiiro said you lived, Emma. He gave us the address. Nobody was home, so I looked at the next address, your house, Dia.

"I live there too!" Jake complained in the present.

Going back to the story, a tall man answered the door, wearing Ansem's jacket. His eyes looked red. "Who're you?" he asked coldly.

"Um…are…Dia and Jake here?"

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"Um…"

He slammed the door. Coeur hissed at him, then pawed my head like she usually does. "Myew!"

"The fortune-telling power? Oh, yeah!" I looked around the lawn. "What can I use?" Coeur gave me a dead dandelion. "I'll give it a shot." I picked off a bunch, nine to be exact. The seeds changed colors and floated away. "Follow those seeds!" I commanded.

… … …

We ended up at Lincolnwood Town Mall, right when you guys walked in. A few Heartless appeared nearby. I pointed at you guys. "Coeur, follow them. I have to go fight for a while. No, wait, stay-" Too late. Coeur ran inside the mall. I sighed loudly, then fought.

It only took five minutes to get rid of the Heartless. Okay, that's a long time to destroy a few. Anyway, I ran inside. Instinctively, I went to KB Toys. Who could find some kids and Kingdom Hearts characters when KB Toys got a new shipment of anime plushies? That's not all, though. Haiiro description of Jake seemed like he was the kind who could live in KB Toys.

I immediately looked at the anime toys. I heard a conversation about DDR in the distance, but ignored it. After a while, someone cracked up and yelled, "LOOK AT THE KING!"

Joined by some other customers, I stared. A little boy was standing with Donald and Goofy! "Way to go…" Donald mumbled.

The boy, who I guessed was Jake, told them, "Don't worry. She looks about twenty." Correct. "She wouldn't know about Kingdom Hearts." Dream on, kid.

After some other statements that I couldn't hear, they left the store.  _Coeur, where are you?_  I thought. Finally, Coeur appeared and jumped onto my shoulder. "Coeur, I told you not to run off."

Coeur looked both apologetic and defensive. "Myew. Myew, myew, myew."

She had confirmed my suspicions; the girl and her friends were in this mall, and that boy was Jake. "Really? I thought so. But we shouldn't do anything yet."

"Myew?" Coeur licked her paw, probably sore from running.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not just being shy. It's not the right time." It wasn't. They were probably getting used to Robin. They didn't need me.

Coeur narrowed her eyes. "Myew?"

Again, she was asking why. I sighed again. "Because I said so." We left the store.

… … …

Coeur and I sat on a bench outside Lincolnwood Town Mall. "It's almost time, Coeur. He told me."

"Myew?" After nearly attacking her for information, Coeur hadn't completely forgiven me, and was testing my nerves.

Yet again, I sighed. "What do you mean, 'he who'? You know." How could Coeur, of all people…uh, animals…not know I was talking about Haiiro? That's when you guys walked by. You know how it goes from there.

END FLASHBACK

… … …

Robin crossed her arms. "Whatever."

"So you WERE watching us!" Jake cried.

"I had no idea some furball was following us." Donald didn't look happy. "You could've been a spy for Guardian. I would've knocked you out." Coeur unsheathed her claws and hissed. The talking duck shrunk back. "Or…not."

Riku looked at Bernie. "Well, Haiiro knows something about Coeur we don't. Guess we'll have to figure it out."

It was Coeur's turn to press her face against the window. Dia stopped driving, due to a mob of cars, and no will to crush them. "Sorry, guys. Little stop."

Coeur paid no attention; she was looking outside at a clump of trees. A silhouette waved from between them. Coeur waved back.


	4. Robin's Story

The mob known as Juu Senshi walked through the woods surrounding the Flapping Monkeys Reservation. Coeur batted at Bernie's ear and meowed at her. Bernie nodded and turned to Robin. "Robin, Coeur wants to know how you met Haiiro."

Dia grinned. "Yeah, why don't you tell us, Fuudo? You and I both know it's a long way to the cabins."

"Yup," Emma agreed. "One cabin's real close but it's…Cabin 10."

A shudder ran through the three girls. "Cabin 10?" Riku asked. "What's so bad about Cabin 10?"

Dia looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, this camp's been around for a long time. The first owner was an environmentalist. He let a bunch of wild geese stay in Cabin 10. They never left. They just…multiplied."

Jake scratched his head. "How do geese multiply? I mean, do they-" A dull yet sickened look crossed the faces of the older members. "Oh. OH! Forget I asked," he added quickly.

"Anyway, for the near-40 years the camp has been open…" Dia continued. "the cabin's been flooded with geese."

Donald started laughing. "You're afraid of the cabin because it's flooded with geese?"

"Dookie," Dia grunted.

"What?"

"Dookie," she repeated flatly.

"What're you talking about?"

Dia sighed. "The space in there that's not filled with geese is filled with their dookie."

"Goose stool is a less crude way of putting it," Bernie spoke up.

Robin shuddered and kept walking. "It still means poop, Loony."

"Pooooooooooop…"

Kairi sighed. "Jake, can you stop that?"

"Pooooooooooop…" Jake grinned and started marching. "Pooooooooooop…"

"Yer brother's wacko, Quinn." Robin scrunched up her shoulders sulkily. "Fine, I'll tell y'all my story. Just so Quinn Jr. will stop sayin'-"

"Pooooooooooop…"

The Japanese teenager grunted. "That."

… … …

FLASHBACK

Well, here's my story. I dun like it much, but I guess I gotta tell it. I started playin' four years ago, when I was fourteen. I got it early 'cause I can understand Japanese, seein' as I AM Japanese. I beat it when I was sixteen. Hey! Whatcha givin' me that look for, Baecker? I'm not some techno-geek like you are! It takes us NORMAL people a while longer! Like I was saying, I beat it when I was sixteen. The next day, I got a call from some guy. I guessed it was Ansem, but I was wrong. That night, instead 'a tryin' ta get 'Another Side, Another Story', I went ta bed.

… … …

I met Haiiro in my dream that night. He said he'd got important info; he was tellin' me 'bout ya, Baecker. I got angry when he said I'd hafta work with you, Quinn, but if you, Baecker, an' Quinn Jr. were gonna let the Heartless in, we'd hafta team up.

"They need you. Please help them." Although Haiiro's words made it sound like helpin' was optional, his voice an' expression said, 'I'll pop into your dreams every night and scream at you if you don't help.'

"I dun wanna." I turned away from 'im, standin' stiffly and crossin' my arms.

Haiiro sighed. "I suppose a gift is needed. I was not going to give this to you for a couple years, but they need you."

This got me interested. I turned back 'round ta face the old guy. Well, he's not old, but y'know…silver hair. Whitish. Oldish. Whatever. "Gift?" I asked.

"Yes, a gift…" he replied slowly, lookin' like he struck gold. "A special weapon needed to destroy the Heartless. The Shinku Cannon." A red light floated out ta me an' materialized into a fat, red rifle. I swung it onto my shoulder. "Do you like it?"

It was heavy, and real impressive. "I like it. But how do y'know I won't go on rampages with this baby?" I purposefully got a maniacal look. Maybe if I looked destructive and mischievous enough, he wouldn't want me as…Senshi no Kyuu. I'm Senshi no Kyuu, right? Yeah. Right. I'm always right. Hmph. Movin' along now.

Haiiro just smiled at me. "I know you would not do that."

"Try me."

He must've been stupid, brave, or both, 'cause he floated closer and said, "Then shoot me."

I blinked. "Shoot….you…?"

"That is correct. If you can shoot one man, you could be able to go on your 'rampages'. If you can't, I can trust you."

"Heh. Ya got guts, ol' man. I'll shoot ya right in the head. Or the chest. Or a lil' lower, if y'know what I mean." He looked a lil' nervous; my ecstatic talk 'bout shootin' got to 'im. He couldn't take back the offer.

But he got lucky. When I aimed the Shinku Cannon at him, my finger froze. I switched hands. Maybe, for some odd reason, my other index finger would do the trick. "What, may I ask, are you doing, Robin?"

"Shut up! Can'tcha see I'm havin' gun issues? Are ya usin' some powers ta make me stop?" My finger touched the trigger, but seemed too weak ta press it. "Huh? Are ya?"

Ansem's replica chuckled and relaxed. "That is no power of mine. That is your conscience."

"Y'mean like that stupid cricket? I dun believe ya, one stinkin' bit." I gritted my teeth an' glared at my new weapon. Finally, I let out a huge sigh. I chucked the cannon a few feet, then hung my head. "Y'knew I couldn't…when I didn't know myself. What gives, Grandpa Man-Lady?"

"I have my ways." Haiiro smiled. "Will you join us, Robin?"

I grunted. "Whatever. But the second the Heartless go 'sayonara', I'm outta their lives, and they're outta mine. 'Specially Quinn."

Haiiro shrugged. "As long as you cooperate. Remember; this is an honor. You were chosen as the ninth fighter because you are knowledgeable. You love Kingdom Hearts."

"Psssssssh. I'm wakin' up now." I snatched my weapon. "An' I'm bringin' this baby with me."

… … …

A few weeks ago, my fellow gang members were talkin' 'bout Kingdom Hearts, an' how stupid it was. Makin' jokes an' stuff. When Quinn heard us, she ran over. She pulled me aside and told me 'bout your 'lil team. Naturally, threatened her and stalked off. I won't go into details, 'cause ya already heard it, Quinn.

Quinn kept on asking. Once, I picked her up by the collar and tossed her at some girl. She an' the other girl, some weirdo with purple hair and gold eyes, threw wood chips an' stones at me. A few days ago, she ran back up ta me an' begged me ta help. I beat her up. That's when you two, Baecker and Quinn Jr. came in an' tried ta clobber me wit' a stick.

Then, there was the mall…y'all know that part. If ya don't, yer stupid, 'cause it happened, like, an hour ago. So, here I am.

END FLASHBACK

… … …

"You were really about to shoot Haiiro?" Emma exclaimed. "I can't believe it!"

Robin crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. The conscience that I dun believe I got stopped me, right? Deal wit' it."

Jake clamped onto Robin's arm. "We'll be your consciences, Robin!"

She flung him off. "I can do perfectly fine without one, Quinn Jr.!"

Dia reared back her arm. "Cut it out, Fuudo, or you'll be answering to my FIST!"

Sora leaned over to Bernie. "This might be a cool catfight. Hey, where's the campsite?"

Dia looked around. "That's weird…it should be right here! Fuudo, your stupid flashback got us lost!"

"Ya made me tell it!"

"Your fighting irritates me," a voice announced. "I suggest you stop."

Emma looked around. "Who said that?"

"I did." A woman who looked to be in her early twenties dropped down from the trees. She wore face paint resembling whiskers and a red leather dress.

Coeur leapt onto the woman's shoulder. "Myew!"

The woman smiled at her. "It's good to see you too, Hart."

Bernie walked over to her. "Heart? No, her name's Coeur. Wrong language."

She looked confused. "H-A-R-T, not H-E-A-R-T…who's Coeur?" She lightly poked the genet. "You mean Hart?"

Everyone stepped forward. "Who are you? And how do you know Coeur? Er, Hart! Whoever she is!" Bernie asked.

The woman smiled. "My name is Miaow, and I am Hart's Nobody."

Bernie's jaw dropped, as did those of her teammates. "You can't be her Nobody! She's…she's a genet! And you're a human! Are you saying that Coeur lost her heart…and…she's a human?"


	5. The Nekoshus

Everyone stared at the woman who was now holding Coeur. Bernie, who had stood up again, would've had her jaw on the ground if she was a cartoon. "Coeur can't be a human! She's my genet!"

Miaow nodded. "Coeur is a genet. Hart is a human. Well, half human. A Nekoshu."

"What are you talking about?" Sora scratched his head. "Didn't you say Coeur WAS Hart?"

"She is." Miaow set Coeur down. "Coeur is her code name, I suppose. Hart is her real name. Hart Kurosato. I should just tell you everything, shouldn't I?"

"No flashbacks," Dia groaned. "We'll get even more lost with another one of those. I almost drove into Wisconsin during Bernie's, and Fuudo's got us off-track from the campsite."

"This will be short. There's no need to go into great detail. If it's short, you won't mind, right?" Dia nodded her approval. "Thank you. Hart is…was…the strongest warrior of the Nekoshu race. The rest of our small tribe is polite and refined, while she was rough and easily angered. However, she cared deeply for her people." Coeur meowed. "And she still does," Miaow added, translating for her. "Just a few Nekoshus live in Hollow Bastion today. The Heartless attacked about two years ago. In a battle, Hart lost her heart. Haiiro, who found our hideout, was able to stop her from becoming a Heartless, but he couldn't restore her to her true form. Because the Nekoshus are part cat, Haiiro made her a genet. A few weeks ago, Haiiro sent another tribe member and me to help you eleven."

Robin shrugged. "So Grandpa Man-Lady sent you an' some Cat-Boy ta find us."

"Hart's little brother, Eclipse Kurosato. He's not as powerful as his older sister, but he has the typical psychic powers:. telepathy, teleportation, telekinesis…"

"Television," Jake added happily.

"Er…I don't think so." Dia patted Jake's head. "How much younger is Eclipse?"

"About ten years younger."

Emma gave a low whistle. "Then he's pretty young?"

"Nope."

She stared at Miaow. "What's up with your voice? It just got lower."

Miaow looked up. "I didn't say that. That was Eclipse."

"More Cat-People droppin' from the sky…" Robin mumbled.

In a dark, purple flash, a boy appeared on the ground. "You're the Juu Senshi, right?"

Everyone stared. "He's a teenager!" Sora exclaimed. "I thought he was a little kid!"

"I said about ten years younger," Miaow explained. "Hart's almost twenty-five now. Eclipse is fifteen."

Eclipse nodded, then surveyed the group. "Do you have my sister?"

"Myew!" Coeur leapt onto Eclipse.

"Hart!" Eclipse hugged his older sister. "I missed you! I've been practicing my psychic powers to see if I could make you a Nekoshu again."

Miaow gently pushed Eclipse forward. "See those two tall girls and the one with glasses?" she asked, gesturing to Robin, Bernie, and Emma. "Read their minds, and show Hart how good you've gotten."

"Yeah, let's see how good ya are, Cat-Boy." Robin chuckled. "You'll never guess what I'm thinkin'."

Eclipse put his index and middle fingers together, and placed them on either side of his head. He made a soft humming noise. "You're thinking… 'That runt will never guess what I'm thinking.'"

Robin grunted. "Yeah…but that was obvious! Try again!"

"You're thinking, 'He's never gonna get it.'"

"Try again! That didn't count either!"

"Okay, now you're thinking, 'Loony's got a big butt.' Who's Loony?"

Kairi giggled, then stood up straight and covered her mouth when she saw the towering French girl glaring I her direction. "I am, I guess…" Bernie told him with a sigh.

"Well, Loony…oh, sorry, Bernie. Bernadette Soleil. That's your REAL name, right? Because you're thinking your name." Bernie grinned. "Good! That's four right!"

"TWO! THOSE DIDN'T COUNT!" Robin yelled. "YA DIDN'T GIVE ME ENOUGH TIME TA THINK OF SOMETHIN'!"

Eclipse also grinned, but his was a bit more mischievous than Bernie's. "Now you're thinking, 'The kid's actually good.'" He looked over at Emma, who was looking blankly back at him. "Um…" He laughed. "Does she tune out a lot?"

"Nah, she's the brains of the Juu Senshi. We've only seen her tune out when she's nervous or surprised. Why?"

"She's not thinking anything about what we're saying. Even now, she's only thinking one thing."

"What?" Dia asked.

"She thinks that I look hot."

"Yer kiddin' me!" Robin started laughing hysterically, gasping things like, "Her, of all people!"

Emma immediately snapped out of her daze. "No!" she screeched. "I…thought it was hot outside! It's almost July!"

"Sure you do…" Sora patted Emma on the back. "…and Heartless are going to climb into my shirt," he finished sarcastically. Suddenly, three Shadows materialized and wormed their way into Sora's zipper-covered T-shirt. "WHOA!" he screamed. "WHAT THE…"

Now, Dia was laughing hysterically. All eyes fixed on her and her Shihaii Wand. "Sorry!" she apologized, but from the look on her face, she was far from serious.

Miaow shook her head. "You're strange. Well, come. I will direct you to the campsite."

As everyone else followed Miaow and Eclipse, Emma sighed with relief. "Thanks for the distraction, Dia."

"What distraction?" Dia asked. Now, she looked genuinely confused. "I just wanted to make Heartless crawl up Sora's shirt! Heh." She and Emma ran to catch up to the rest of the Juu Senshi and the two Nekoshus. None of them noticed that Riku was glaring at Eclipse.

… … … … … … … … …

"What a weirdo." A tan-skinned woman was sitting in the Quinns' basement, looking at the same holograph table that was in Hollow Bastion's chapel. Most of her face was hidden by a dark green silk scarf. "A whole bunch of weirdoes. Why do we have to be careful of them? They'll probably fall into a manhole at this rate."

Guardian groaned. "Last time we underestimated them, they caught us off-guard and destroyed all our former informants."

"They didn't kill Ansem, did they?" She looked a little worried. "Just how powerful are they?"

"They did not kill Ansem. He told that door, Kingdom Hearts, to fill him with darkness. There was only light inside, and it swallowed him." The bandaged, ghost-like Heartless shook his head disdainfully. "What a fool. He was forced to sing real-world songs by the girl with the reddish hair."

"Ah, really?" The woman chuckled. "Maybe I should watch them for a while."

"No. Stick to your job." Footsteps echoed on the tile floor of the partially torn basement. "You're the strongest captain of the Heartless Army, and Daimyo of the magic division." The speaker looked emotionlessly at the woman. He wore a suit identical to Ansem's, but with a hood. A blonde woman in a pink dress with cherry blossom designs followed him. "You have to destroy the Juu Senshi. We weren't able to destroy the game worlds, but we have to get this one."

Guardian nodded. "Remember your deal, Lyze? We did not destroy your precious Ivalice. Your begging got to us…but to seal the deal, you promised to join the darkness. We did not ask you to give in to the darkness, just for your help. Give it to us, and destroy the Keyblade Master and his allies!"

"Only if I get to name the Heartless Army."

The other woman took on a look of amusement. "And what do you propose we name it? The Happy Pony Army of Love and Friendship?"

"Put a sock in it, Silke." Lyze scowled and stood up. "I learned a little Japanese from watching the Juu Senshi. How about Rei no Aku? It means 'spirit of evil'. You don't mind, do you?"

The man shook his head. "I'll be a different leader than Ansem could ever be. I think that the soldiers will be more…agreeable…if they can make a few decisions of their own. I guess…we'll be Rei no Aku."

Silke frowned. "Do I have any say in this? I am a Daimyo as well! I am the strongest of my rank, stronger than Daimyo Rune! She is simply an elementalist, and I am a-"

The man turned to her. "Daimyo Sakura, we need an elementalist for this task. If she doesn't win, we'll send-"

"Me?"

"Daimyo Kinzoku. If he fails, you will be sent." The man turned back to Lyze as Silke grumbled. "Now go, and defeat the Juu Senshi!"

Lyze grinned. "Okay! Thank you, Mr. Taylor, sir!"

… … …

"Emma?"

Emma looked down at Jake. "Yeah?"

"What do you think happened to Daddy? And Alissa?"

"Um…promise you won't cry?" Jake shrugged. "Well…Haiiro told me that because Ansem's a good guy…Guardian got Taylor as a replacement."

Everyone stopped walking. "WHAT?" Dia hollered. "Are you saying Dad's the new Heartless leader?"

Miaow turned around from her spot in front. "Taylor? Yes, he's the new leader. Guardian is his superior, but he's replaced Ansem."

Jake's eyes got wet, and he started sniffling. "We have to…beat up Daddy?"

"I'm sorry, Jake…" Bernie's strange, almost maternal instinct took over, and she started hugging the youngest Senshi. "But Ansem's not dead…I bet your dad won't die either."

A gagging noise came from a little to the right. It was Robin. "More Nobodies? We already got that Blond-Haired Kid guy an' Naminé, though we haven't seen 'em, an' now we got Haiiro an' Miaow! An' yer dad's Nobody's comin' up!"

Jake was now completely bawling. "DAAAAAAADDY!" he sobbed.

Dia stepped on Robin's foot. "Cut it out, Fuudo! Our dad is our new archenemy! This is bad! This is a crisis!"

"Then why aren't you crying?" Sora asked.

"I've seen way better dads than him. I kind of WANT to give him a good smack."

"SIS!" Jake snapped. "Be nice to Daddy!"

"He's the villain, ya lil' freak!" Robin lightly kicked Jake. "We can't be nice! Is Quinn Jr. always like this?"

While, Dia, Robin, and Jake fought, Emma was sitting quietly on a log. Riku glanced at her and frowned. He walked over. "What's wrong, Em-"

"What's wrong, Emma?" Eclipse was sitting next to her.

"That Nekoshu rat beat me to her…" Riku mumbled.

Before Emma could answer, Eclipse said, "Nevermind, I'm a psychic. It's that Alissa, isn't it? Isn't it? Emma?" Emma nodded glumly.

Goofy pointed straight ahead. "Hey, is that the campsite?"

"It is!" Jake squealed. He smiled, despite his tearstained face. Basically everyone ran ahead.

Eclipse went back to talking to Emma. "So, from what Jake was saying, I take it Alissa is your mom. You don't know where she is?"

Emma sighed. "If she's alive, she'd be somewhere near Chicago. But I have no idea exactly where."

"Well, I don't know where your mom is…" Lyze appeared on the top of a cabin. "…but if you're really Mr. Taylor's kids, then yeah, your dad's my new leader!"

Coeur arched her back and hissed. "Myew!"

Miaow looked at Coeur. "She HAS to be part of the Heartless Army!"

"Rei no Aku!" she corrected. "I got to name it!"

"Who are you?" Sora called up.

Lyze took off her hood, revealing pure white hair and two brown rabbit ears. "I'm the Magician Daimyo of Rei Aku, Lyze Rune the viera, the strongest elementalist in Ivalice, and I'm going to destroy all of you!"


	6. Battle of the Elementalists

"Daimyo?" Miaow asked. "What's a Daimyo?"

"Estate owners in feudal Japan who hired many samurais to do their work," Emma explained. "They had alliances with the shogun. If she works for Taylor, and says she's the Magician Daimyo, I'm guessing she leads the Heartless who can cast spells, or use the elements, like Wizards and Defenders."

Lyze leapt down from the cabin roof. "Smart girl. But smarts alone won't help in battle."

Jake stepped forward cautiously. "If you lead some of the Heartless, why are you alone right now?"

"It's a trap, munchkin," Robin mumbled.

"I'm alone because this is a surveillance attack. I'm checking your skills. In the unlikely event that you're too powerful for me alone, I'll send the troops in." Lyze nodded.

Eclipse tapped Coeur's shoulder. "Hart, she doesn't seem like a real villain. Maybe she was drafted." Coeur gave a meow, then watched the Daimyo carefully. "I read her mind; she's bored out of her mind, and a little nervous. The thirteen of us are a little too much for her, but she likes a challenge."

Coeur nuzzled her little brother. "Myew!"

"He IS good," Bernie agreed.

"BUT HE READ MY MIND WRONG!" Emma yelled, getting red.

"You guys are weird. This'll be an interesting fight." Lyze reached into a black shoulder bag and took out two long, thin rapiers. The Juu Senshi and the Nekoshus followed suit, getting into battle stances. "Mr. Taylor says you're an elementalist." She focused on Emma. "So am I."

Emma glared. "You said you're the strongest elementalist in Ivalice. I'M the strongest in the Kingdom Hearts universe."

"Just one Ivalician assassin could kill all of you in one swipe. Ivalice is the strongest world there is, and the vieras are the best race." Lyze smirked. "Mr. Taylor won't need to send Silke or Kinzoku. I'll kick your butts myself."

"We'll see about that." Emma turned around. "Back up a bit, guys. I wanna fight her myself."

Lyze pointed the rapier at her. "I have a bag full of rapiers. The Scarlette is just one." She took out another Scarlette and put in her other hand.

"Dia! You're a Final Fantasy Tactics Advance expert, right?"

"I guess!"

"What kind of rapier is a Scarlette?"

"Um…a fire rapier! You should use Yuki Naifu."

Emma nodded. "Got it." Blue mist wafted in. "You don't stand a chance."

"It's the other way around," Lyze replied. "What're you doing?"

"This. YUKI NAIFU!" Nine icicles came down from the sky and pierced the forest floor in a circle, with Emma in the middle. She climbed up onto the one closest to Lyze and perched there. "Say sayonara, Daimyo."

Lyze shrugged. "So you're blue. Big deal." She climbed up a tree and pointed the Scarlettes at the girl again. "It's not just a plain old fire rapier. FIRE WHIP!"

Twin streams of fire caught Emma's hands. "Emma!" Dia called. "Try to move your hands!" Emma obediently tried, but the fire disabled them. "Thought so. The effects of Fire Whip disable all attacks. Can you make ice come out of your feet?"

Emma stared. "My feet? What do you think?"

"Well, try kicking your hands. If you can do an ice kick, you can reverse the disability effects. The fire is all that's keeping you from attacking!"

"Oh, all right…" Emma lowered her hands as far as she could, then kicked the fire connecting them. The fire froze and cracked. "That's helpful. HYAH!" She turned her right fist into ice and punched Lyze in the face.

Lyze prodded her cheek. "My face is numb!" She complained. She pressed one Scarlette against her frozen skin. "OW! Stupid fire rapier…" She sheathed both Scarlettes, and took out a plainer-looking one. She put it at face-level. "Earth Heal!" A green ball of light flew out of it and into Lyze. Leaves scattered around her, then disappeared. "I'll save the good stuff for later. I'm just going to stab you."

"Same here," Emma agreed. The blue drained from her eyes and shirt. She took out her new Hikari Sword and slashed Lyze.

"Try to catch me!" Laughing, Lyze leapt onto a higher branch and thrust the Fleuret into Emma's shoulder.

Riku and Eclipse gasped at the same time. "Emma!"

Then, Riku glared at Eclipse. "You just met her! Why do you care?"

"She's cool, and she's a good fighter."

Riku stared. "You like…her fighting? Just…her fighting?"

Eclipse shrugged. "I know you have a crush on her. I just admire her fighting. It's not my fault I'm a chick magnet."

"You aren't a chick magnet, you're an Emma magnet."

Emma glared at them. "Weren't you two just upset that I got stabbed? AND I DON'T LIKE ECLIPSE!" She kicked Lyze again. The Fleuret left Emma's shoulder when its owner went backwards. "Ow…why does it only hurt when it's taken out?"

Lyze shrugged. "You know when someone gets stabbed really badly, then they take the sword out, and blood comes out, and they're in more pain than if they left it there?"

"Like in House of Flying Daggers?"

"Uh…whatever." Lyze put the Fleuret back in her sack. "Time to break out the elemental attacks again. You go first. I'm going to pick a rival element."

"No way!"

"We'll go at the same time."

"I don't trust you."

"I'm not trying to kill you yet. I'm surveying your abilities."

"I still don't trust you."

"Fine, then." Lyze took out a new rapier. "I'll just pick one without a rival element." She pointed her current one, the Joyeuse, at Emma. "Evil Gaze!"

Emma looked up. A purple glow hung above her, then dropped into her. Illusions of bats swarmed around her, then disintegrated. She wobbled a little, then stared blankly at Lyze. Then, she fell out of the tree.

"Emma!" This time, only Riku yelled. He dove towards the tree, then caught Emma. He sighed. "What would you do without me?"

Dia ran towards them. "Stay away from Emma! Evil Gaze makes her think we're her enemies!"

"What? Hey!" Riku cried. Emma looked dazed as she lifted the Hikari Sword, then brought it down on Riku. Nothing happened. Even though she was confused, she remembered what Lyze had told her, and drew the sword back out. Still, nothing happened. "Hey, weird woman with the rabbit ears!" Lyze looked down. "Yeah, you! What's going on?"

Lyze scratched her head. "Mr. Taylor says the Hikari Sword can only harm dark creatures. I guess it can't hurt you. Well, so much for Evil Gaze. Here, kid, give her this." She dropped a little, black ball down.

"That's a Cureall," Dia explained. "Break it in half, then pour the stuff on Emma."

"Okay." Riku snapped the Cureall, and little white clouds floated onto Emma.

The Hikari Sword fell out of Emma's hands. "Ugh…" She glanced at Riku. "Why are you holding me?"

Turning as red as Emma had been earlier, he took his arms away and kneeled. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She stood up. "Nobody comes to the Flapping Monkey Reservation anymore. Nobody will mind a few burnt trees…PYROMANIAC!"

Lyze jumped down from the tree. "I'm going to stop stabbing you…but let's see how my other status effects do!" She grabbed a rapier with cloud designs, the Djinn Flyssa. "Shining Air!"

Just as Emma was about to scrape Lyze with the long, black claws that accompanied her fire attack, a shimmering, white light dropped on her, followed by a blinding flash. Emma knocked into a tree. "What the…I can't see a thing!"

"Ha! That's what Shining Air does!" Lyze leaned against a tree. "Good luck finding me!"

"I can follow your voice, stupid!" Emma roared, showing her fangs. A burst of fire came out her hands. It burnt the tree, but Lyze had disappeared into the branches of a nearby tree.

"Stand still, and let her come to you!" Sora suggested.

Emma nodded. Lyze jumped down from the tree. With a lunge and another roar, her cloak was caught on Emma's now-flaming claws. "WHOA!" Lyze tried to free her cloak, but the claws on Emma's other hand grazed her neck. "Okay, okay!" She took a white substance out of one of her pockets, then threw it at Emma.

Her eyes cleared up. "I got you, rabbit."

"Viera," she corrected angrily.

"Viera," Emma repeated. "I've decided to trust you…for now. So, if you're just watching my powers, use your next rapier." With the red mist gone, Emma went back to normal.

Lyze nodded and took out a lavender rapier. "This should be fun to watch. "Heavy Dust!" A brown light flew at Emma, followed by a cloud of dust. "Now you can't walk. Have any more long-range attacks?"

"STEEL-"

"DAIMYO RUNE!" Guardian's voice thundered. "You are simply toying with these fools! You were supposed to destroy all of them!"

Lyze growled and tossed an orange strip at Emma. Her legs started moving again. "I've seen enough. I've got to go."

A hologram of Guardian appeared. "You have failed. I am sending Daimyo Kinzoku next time."

"Fine… Emma, was it? This isn't over." She disappeared, as did the hologram.

Emma sighed. "She's harder than I thought. Those side effects are annoying."

Jake frowned. "That Daimyo Kinzoku must be really strong."

"He is," Eclipse agreed. "Daimyo Rune was thinking about him…he's the Metal Daimyo. Kinzoku was a mechanic. After he died, he was brought back to life as a cyborg. Almost all of his body parts are mind-controlled machina. Every Heartless in his division is a normal Heartless, like a Shadow or a Behemoth, but with machina upgrades. He lives in Spira, working with the Al Bhed."

"Was he behind the Decaclaw Heartless?" Donald asked.

"No, that was me," Riku admitted quietly. "I got some machina plates and stuck them on some Shadows."

Eclipse narrowed his eyes. "So you really DID work for the Heartless…I'd suspect that you still did, but Emma's sword went right through you."

"He's part 'a the Juu Senshi, Kurosato," Robin announced. "As much as I dun like 'im, it's true. He's one a' us. So back away from the ankle-biter."

"Um…thanks…" Riku scratched his head. "…I think…"

"Let's see if there's a keyhole around," Sora suggested. "Then we can get back on the road."

Eclipse started to follow them, but a hand grabbed him back. "Hey! GUYS!"

"Shut up, Nekoshu. How did you know what I was thinking?"

As Eclipse's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the tree trunk he was now standing in, he noticed his captor was Lyze. "I have special powers."

"What kind?" Eclipse glared. "Fess up, I'm not going to clobber you."

"Psychic," he answered. "And I'm not joining your stupid magic division."

"You don't understand. I am a respectable Daimyo. I want a strong division until this war is over. Then, I can return to my hometown, Muscadet, in Ivalice. I was drafted, and I don't like attacking the good guys, but I have to."

"You could help us kick Taylor and Guardian's butts. Then you'd be free from your job, and go home."

"It's not that easy. You'd have to go through the other two Daimyos first. Kinzoku's really hard, but Silke's brutal. Anyway, will you join?"

Eclipse tugged his arm from the viera's grip. "I'll humor you for a little; what's in it for me?"

"You could rule the world with the rest of Rei no Aku."

"A small tribe in Hollow Bastion is enough for me."

"You could be honored as a ruthless fighter."

"If I stay with the Juu Senshi, I could be honored as a ruthless fighter AND a hero."

"Well…" Lyze got a smile. "…I have something you can't possibly pass up."

Eclipse un-crossed his arms. "And what might that be?"

"We can make your sister a Nekoshu again."

… … …

Sora grinned as he locked every cabin on the Flapping Monkey Reservation. When he got to Cabin 10, he grimaced. "I'm glad we never had to go in there."

Bernie glanced in the window. "Um…Sora? I see a keychain in there."

"WHAT?"

Kairi giggled. "You have to go get the keychain from Cabin 10, Sora."

"Ugh…" Sora opened the door. The smell of goose poop flooded the area.

"Pooooooooooop…" Jake covered his nose with his hand.

Robin glared. "Shaddup, Quinn Jr.!"

A few minutes later, Sora emerged. He was covered with feathers, but thankfully, nothing else. "Well?" Emma asked.

Sora glumly held up a keychain with yet another goose feather at the end. "The keychain…is a goose feather."

"Put it on!" Jake cheered.

This new keychain was a little pathetic. When it was attached, the key-shaped blade became curved and yellow, like a banana. The hilt had red, metal feathers coming out. The grip was brown. "Um…" Sora looked it over. "Flapping…" He pointed out the metal feathers. "…Monkey." He pointed to the banana blade. "And…the goose feather…"

Haiiro appeared in front of them. "I see you have obtained the Winged Primate Keyblade."

"WHAT?" Sora yelled again. "WHAT DID YOU SAY THIS THING WAS CALLED?"

"The Winged Primate Keyblade," Haiiro repeated calmly.

"THAT'S STUPID!" He kicked the Keyblade. "STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!"

Robin glared at Haiiro. "Is this yer idea of a joke, Grandpa Man-Lady?"

Haiiro smiled. "In fact, it is."

Everyone else had fallen to the ground, laughing hysterically. "Is it even strong?" Sora asked.

"Not really. I just thought this would be funny."

Sora grunted and stepped back. "Strike Raid!" The Flying Primate was hurled at Haiiro, who chose an appropriate time to teleport away. "Crazy old man…"

… … …

Meanwhile, Eclipse was stared open-mouthed at Lyze. "Can you really turn my sister back to normal?"

"I don't know how, but Guardian probably does. All you have to do is join Rei no Aku. We can help you with your psychic abilities too. Once you're good enough, you may become the new Magician Daimyo!" Lyze nodded. "I could use a break from the pressure."

Eclipse growled. "I can train myself. I'll find a cure."

Lyze sighed. "Poor little boy. You're delusional. You need professionals to train you."

"I won't join you, and that's that!" Eclipse turned to leave.

"Not so fast. Rei no Aku is not evil. Darkness is not evil. Is nighttime evil? No. 'Nekoshu' means 'cat-human', right?" Eclipse nodded. "Then you're half cat!" She poked one of the thin, streaky, whisker-like tattoos on his face. "A cat of all things should know how wonderful the night is. Wandering off, sitting on fences with your fellow cats, meowing opera songs at random houses…"

Eclipse raised an eyebrow. "Opera songs?"

"Yeah, Guardian got me this Real-World Training Video for me."

"Was there a pig at the end of each segment?"

"Yes."

"Did he stutter a lot?"

"Yeah, you've seen it?"

Eclipse rolled his eyes. "That's Loony Toons, dimwit."

Lyze growled. "Okay, so no opera songs. But a half-cat should know how great the night is."

"I guess…but the darkness is evil! The Heartless are evil! Rei Aku is evil! I'm leaving."

"Fine." Lyze took out one more sword from her rapier pack. Eclipse braced himself for a stabbing, but she was offering him a sword with a blade that looked like black fire. "I like bribing people, not blackmailing. Take the Yami Sword. It's the opposite of that silly Hikari Sword. If you want to hide it from your friends, you can will it to disappear. But keep it, and consider my offer. And be warned; the Hikari Sword and the Yami Sword are doomed to fight, as light and dark often do. Yes, it's your fate to do battle… join us, and it's also your fate to win." Lyze patted Eclipse on the back. "Take your time choosing."


	7. Starved Rock, IL

Eclipse stepped out of the tree trunk, examining the Yami Sword. "I want my sister back…but I can't join the darkness. I'll turn her back by myself." He glared at it. "Besides, this sword is stupid. I can't hit Heartless with it, because it's made of darkness. So I don't need it, which means I don't have to fight Emma."

"Denial. You're simply in denial," Lyze decided. She pulled the hood of her cloak on, pressing her large, furry ears down. "I'm sure you'll come around soon enough." With a fizzing noise, she disappeared.

"Hmph." Eclipse stomped off. "Stupid Daimyo…"

"HEEEEEY, ECLIIIIIPSE!" Eclipse stopped and looked up. "HEEEEEY, ECLIIIIIPSE!" the voice repeated. Suddenly, Jake came barreling at Eclipse. "LOOK AT THIIIIIS, ECLIIIIIPSE! ECLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPSE!"

Jake pounced on the Nekoshu and sent both of them to the ground. "Look at what?" Eclipse grunted.

The little boy thrust the Winged Primate Keyblade into Eclipse's face. "Look at Sora's new Keyblade!"

"It's ugly." Eclipse teleported out from under Jake, then reappeared next to him. "Is that really his new Keyblade?"

Jake nodded happily. "He got it from Cabin 10!"

"The one with the goose poop?"

Jake nodded again. "Pooooooooop…" he echoed.

"Would you cut that out?" Eclipse looked like he was going to gag.

"Aw…okay…" The other Juu Senshi members and Miaow were walking towards them. "Hiya, guys! Eclipse likes your new Keyblade, Sora."

Sora stared blankly. "You do?"

"No. It's ugly." Eclipse shook his head. "But I found another keychain if you…" Sora automatically squealed and clung to Eclipse. "…want it. Get off me, please."

"Sorry." Sora grinned apologetically. "I was just hoping that I would have more than the Winged Primate Keyblade."

Eclipse took out a small keychain with a cat paw attached. "I'd hope so too, if that was my weapon."

Sora took off the hideous keychain he got from Haiiro and attached the new one. The new blade was coal-black with three smaller blades jutting out of the side, like claws. The handle was brown, with small curves, like paws. "Hmm…I'm going to call it the Tsume Keyblade."

"Where'd you get that, Eclipse?" Emma wondered.

"It was just on the ground."

Miaow patted the younger brother of her Other. "He can't go ten minutes without reading someone's mind," she announced affectionately.

Eclipse jerked away from Miaow, then teleported over to Coeur, who was on Bernie's shoulder. "Don't act like I'm your little brother! I'm Hart's brother! The only reason you exist is because of the Heartless! And when, not if, WHEN I restore Hart to her Nekoshu form, I won't need you!"

Donald rolled his eyes. "You're acting like a kid whose fighting with his baby-sitter, and Miaow is the baby-sitter. She just wants to take care of you, but you'll only accept kindness from your mom, or Coeur, as the case is."

"Myew, myew," Coeur agreed. "Myew."

"I'm sorry, Hart…" Eclipse sighed. "I just want to turn you back to normal."

Sora sheathed the Tsume Keyblade. "Well, where's our next stop?"

Haiiro materialized. "A place in Illinois called Starved Rock."

"Starved Rock?" Bernie smiled. "I've been there once."

"Then you know how dangerous it is."

Bernie nodded slowly. "There's a sign on one path…it basically says that the big sign is blocking a path with loose gravel…you could fall and die. There's an undertow. We don't have to go there…do we?"

"Well…" Haiiro frowned and sighed. "…you do." Everyone's eyes shot open. "I am getting signals that Heartless are planning to destroy Starved Rock. They are most likely coming with Daimyo Kinzoku."

Dia groaned. "We have to fight upgraded Heartless AND this Kinzoku guy?"

"We can take them," Eclipse decided.

Miaow shook her head. "It's too dangerous. You should stay here." She walked back over to Eclipse and grabbed his wrist. "I'm staying, so you should too."

Eclipse gritted his teeth. "I'm going with my sister. I'll be safer with her."

"You'll get hurt by the Heartless!"

"SHUT UP! What do you care about what the Heartless do to me? You were created by them! They took Hart's heart, and you're the shadow of it!"

Miaow sighed and got a tighter grip on Eclipse's wrist. "You must stay here."

"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME WHAT TO DO! HYAH!" A black streak slashed Miaow, causing her to let go. Eclipse turned to the Juu Senshi. "I'll meet you at Starved Rock." He teleported away.

There was silence in the forest. "They need a family counselor," Donald announced. Emma kicked him.

… … …

Back in Chicago, Lyze was watching the hologram of the Juu Senshi. "Mr. Taylor, sir! Eclipse is using the Yami Sword!"

Taylor smirked. He was still wearing the Ansem costume, hood up. "And you remembered to place the spell on the sword?"

"Yessir, sir!" Lyze replied cheerfully. "The more he uses the sword, the more it'll affect him!"

Ansem's replacement chuckled darkly. "Can we expect the boy in the next month?"

"Yessir, Mr. Taylor, sir!"

Silke scoffed. "Do not place too much trust in Daimyo Rune. She is the weakest Daimyo. I, the strongest."

"I don't doubt your strength, Daimyo Sakura." Taylor shook his head. "But we needed a spell. You are good in your area, as is Daimyo Kinzoku. However, only Daimyo Rune can cast magic."

A new picture fizzed into the hologram. It was a man with flaming red hair. He was completely made out of metal, except for his head, although there was a plate over the left side of his face. "Shogun, I-"

"Shogun?" Silke interrupted. "More Japanese titles?"

Taylor glared. "The title was my idea."

"I like it, Mr. Shogun, sir!"

"Kiss-up." Kinzoku rolled his remaining eye. "Let me talk, Silk."

"My name is not Silk!" the blond Daimyo yelled. "It's Silke! Sill-kay! Not Silk!"

"I don't really care…SILL-KAY. Shogun, sir?" Taylor nodded. "I need to update the armor I gave the Heartless. The protective layer does not protect water. I require a day to do fix. It would normally take twelve hours, but I must update and recharge them, as well as myself.

Taylor shrugged. "That's fine. The trip from the reservation that the Juu Senshi are on to Starved Rock takes three hours. I'll keep them busy with Lyze's troops."

Silke dropped to her knees. "General Quinn…I mean, Shogun…why can I not send my troops instead? They'll clear the way for Daimyo Kinzoku's troops, and they're twice as tough as Daimyo Rune's!'

"They are?" Kinzoku's hologram raised an eyebrow. "Daimyo Sakura, how could you be stronger than a magician?"

Silke smirked. "You have never seen me fight."

… … …

"And even when you SEEEEEEEEEE the darkness come creepin', it's still a dream worth keepin'…don't let it fade…AWAAAAAAAAAAAY!"

Robin covered her ears and leaned into the minivan seat. "Whatcha doin', Quinn, tryin' ta make my ears bleed?"

Dia growled. "I'd beat you up if I wasn't driving."

"Ya couldn't beat me up, even if ya weren't!" Robin yelled.

"It's Jake's fault for getting that song stuck in my head!"

"You wanted to watch Ferngully!"

"Yeah, well we're never watching it again!"

"Myeh."

Goofy scratched his head. "What's Ferngully? And what were you singing?"

Dia sighed. "Ferngully: The Last Rainforest is a kiddy movie made by 20th Century Fox. Jake got the theme song stuck in my head, 'A Dream Worth Keeping'.

Eclipse, who had somehow found a way to fit in the van, spoke up. "Is it a good movie?"

"If you like sappy stuff and rapping fruit bats."

"Why is a fruit bat rapping?"

"I don't know. He just is, okay?"

Emma grabbed the seat in front of her and pulled herself up. "Hey, I just remembered something…we all had some weird dream."

"Huh?" Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Well, almost all of us. Robin, Bernie, and I all met Haiiro in a dream. Sora, you first saw the Heartless in your dream."

"How'd you know about that?" He asked. Emma didn't answer. "Oh, yeah. I live in a video game. So?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know. The song just made me remember."

"That's stupid," Donald said. "Hey, I think we're here!"

A building that looked like a large, yellow mansion stood outside. A sign read, 'Welcome to the Starved Rock Lodge!' Sora stepped out of the car. "Wow…check out that totem pole!"

"It's so beautiful!" Kairi cooed.

Dia shut the door behind her. "Yeah, it's pretty nice. They have this DVD rental…I got to watch Rush Hour here." Jake's mouth opened. "Don't even think about singing WAR!"

"Rush Hour?" Riku hopped out. "Is that a movie?"

"Yeah, and it's a good one. If the Heartless aren't here yet, we can rent it."

Eclipse looked around. "This place is supposed to be popular for the surroundings, and you want to watch a movie?"

"Yes!" Jake squealed. "Let's go!"

… … …

The Juu Senshi walked into the lobby. Dia was holding a large pamphlet. "The dining hall is this way." She pointed to a small hallway, then turned to Emma. "I'm going to get Rush Hour. Can you take the map?"

Emma shrugged and took the pamphlet. "Sure."

Everyone except Dia walked down the hall. Both walls were covered in pictures. Most of them had a dog theme. One of them contained several black Labradors. They were either chewing or stepping on playing cards, all aces. Jake ran up to it. "The puppies are cute! Aw, they're eating aces! Cute little ace puppies! Why are they called aces? They should be called ones! But aces sounds cooler, so-"

Robin crossed her arms and glared. "If ya dun stop talkin' 'bout aces, I'm gonna shove that picture up YER ace."

It took Jake a few moments to process what the nineteen-year-old had implied. "Hey!" He placed both arms protectively over his rear end. Donald cracked up. Even Bernie, the maternal lover and guardian of all things little, laughed quietly.

Emma sighed. "Robin, leave Jake alone. We're at the dining room."

The dining room was a large, polished area made almost completely of wood. A waitress led them to a table, but not before asking, "So…I'm seating…all of you?"

"This place is nice," Kairi announced. "Is the food good?"

"Great," Emma answered. "They have…guys, look!"

Everyone's eyes turned to a woman at the next table. She seemed normal; casual clothes, bored expression. However, she had odd, slightly spiked, pastel green hair. Her olive bandanna stuck up in the front, like it was concealing something. Her skin was tan, but her fingertips were black and sharp at the end. When she looked up, her eyes widened. "The Juu Senshi!"

Everyone's mouth fell open. "D-d-daimyo R-rune!" Sora stammered. "What's she doing here?"

Lyze grabbed the bottom of her chair and scooted over. The Juu Senshi got their weapons out, and Eclipse held up his hands to ready himself for some psychic attack. Lyze laughed. "I'm not going to attack you. Mr. Shogun told me not to, so I'm not. I'm actually not even supposed to be here, but I'm hungry." She grinned. "Oh, you're here too?" she asked Eclipse, feigning innocence.

Eclipse squinted and directed a thought at Lyze.  _I'm not joining._

 _You'll have to,_  Lyze thought back.  _That sword will make you._

Riku cleared his throat. "Are you two having a staring contest?"

Lyze looked at Riku. "Very funny. I was told by Mr. Shogun not to attack you, like I said, but I'm considering grabbing a rapier."

"Is Mr. Shogun Daddy's new name?" Jake asked.

"Yes, Shogun Quinn. I call him Mr. Shogun," Lyze explained.

Robin scooted away from Lyze. "Can ya move? I feel a strong urge ta hit ya right now."

Lyze tapped the table impatiently with her elongated, curved fingers. "I'm warning you."

"Yeah, yeah, yer gonna attack us if we dun shut up."

"No. Well, yes, but no. I'm warning you about another Daimyo, Silke." She looked outside. "She's coming with her troops. Nobody knows what her area is, though. I have magic, and Kinzoku has metal. She has…to be honest, I don't know."

Emma put her chin in her hand. "Even if you ARE telling the truth, why are you siding with us? For the moment, anyway."

"I hate Silke. She thinks she's so perfect and powerful."

"Is she?" Goofy asked nervously.

"Stronger than me." Some metallic noises came from outside. "What the…Kinzoku shouldn't be here yet!"

Jake pressed his face on the glass. "Is Silke a blond?"

"Yes. Why?"

"She's outside."

Lyze stood up quickly, causing a few plates to clatter around. "I can't let her see me here. Mr. Shogun would fire me, and Ivalice would be destroyed!" She ran a few feet, then turned to Eclipse and winked. She ran again before she could see him clench his teeth.

With a loud bang, glass shards flew in every direction. Some tourists and waiters fled as Silke ran in. "Juu Senshi! I know you are here!"

The Juu Senshi and Eclipse ran forward. "Yeah, so?" Sora called.

"Prepare for your imminent defeat!" Silke yelled.

Sora snickered. "What? I don't see any weapons. Are you going to throw cherry blossoms at us?" Silke turned red as Sora started singing 'Sakura' in a falsetto. "Sa-ku-raaaaaaa, sa-ku-raaaaaaa, yayoi no sora wa…"

"Enough!" the Daimyo hissed. She took out a long sword with sakura designs and ran at the Keyblade Master. She aimed for Sora's throat, but smashed the Tsume Keyblade instead. She smirked. "It is as you real-worlders say: close, but no cigar. I am Silke Sakura, Sword Daimyo! And if my specially designed Blade Heartless do not get you, I certainly will!"


	8. Songs and Cyborgs

"I would simply RELISH stabbing you here and now, Keyblade Master," Silke announced. "Fortunately for you, I must follow a set of rules similar to a samurai's bushido, meaning I must fight honorably. Also, the speed of it would not be fun at all."

Jake snorted. "Relish…" he giggled. The Juu Senshi and Eclipse glared at him. "Sorry."

"Hey, guys!" Dia bounced into the lodge's dining room. "I got Rush Hour for…OH, DOOKIE!"

"What a charming sentiment." Silke removed her sword from directly in front of Sora's neck, then stood up straight to glance at Dia. "You must be the Shogun's daughter, the possessor."

Dia's eyes were opened as far as they could go. "Who is she? And why is she calling me the Shogun's daughter?"

Silke looked confused. "Shogun Quinn, of course. Surely you knew that…"

"Uh…no…"

"Well…what IS he doing?" The Daimyo's attention suddenly snapped to Bernie. She was making odd, jerking motions with her hands. "Does she do this often?"

Emma and Jake looked at each other, then joined in, grunting and gesturing. "Uh…no..." Dia replied.

Robin rolled her eyes. She started making slightly more readable gestures. She held out her hand, then closed her eyes. "Shinku Cannon…" Her ominous, red shoulder gun appeared. "Senshi no Go." She opened her eyes to glare at Dia. "Senshi no Go," she repeated. Dia looked at her. Robin held out her hand again, and coughed.

"Uh…okay…"

Robin looked like she was going to burst. She coughed again. This time, it sounded a lot like, "Shihaii!"

"Ohhhhhhhh!" Dia held out her hand, then yelled, "Shihaii Wand!" The slim, white staff appeared in her hand.

Silke put an arm around Sora's neck, pulling him towards him. "Do not even THINK about it! I have a hostage!"

Dia chuckled. "You think I care?"

"Dia…" Sora whimpered.

"Don't worry." Dia flashed a grin. "I've got it covered."

"What are you planning?" Silke hissed. "Nothing, I bet. You are just a…very…powerful girl…who I a-admire…and…respect…"

Jake punched the air and cheered. "Sis is back in action!"

Silke dropped Sora. "Tel…tel…" She started shivering uncontrollably. "…tel… TELETUBIIIIIIIIEEEEEES!"! TELETUBIIIIIIIIEEEEEES! SAY HELLO!"

Emma ran over to Dia and whispered something. Dia nodded. "Good idea."

"No!" Silke shook her head. But it was too late. "I don't know where my monkey iiiiiis, iiiiif I had a mooooonkey, I wooooouuuuuldn't know where my mooooonkey waaaaas, becaaaaauuuuuse I love my mooooonkey!"

"Give in to the madness…" Dia instructed eerily.

"NO!" Silke slashed wildly at the space around her. The blade lopped off one of Sora's spikes.

Sora stuck his lower lip out. "That was my favorite one… He picked the clump of hair up and pet it.

Dia and Silke twitched. "I thought your leader would be smarter than this…"

Laughter erupted from around the corner. Everyone turned in its direction. "What the…come on out, ya wimp!" Dia yelled. Nobody came. "Fine. If you don't want to come out, I'll make you." She pointed the Shihaii Wand. Still nothing. "Huh? Well, it must be a good guy if my staff's not working."

"Not even close." Lyze emerged, pulling a large, metal, club-like thing. "He's impervious to magic."

The club whacked Lyze. "Let go of me."

"Oh, don't be such a baby, Kinzoku."

Sora stopped petting his hair spike to look up. "Kinzoku? As in the Metal Daimyo Kinzoku?"

"He looks like Errol from Jak 3," Jake decided.

"That would be me." The club was Kinzoku's arm. "Silke, your job is done. It is my turn."

Silke glared. "All right, you tin can. I'll be back, Juu Senshi."

Goofy scratched his head. "How come the Daimyos always try to fight us, then leave?"

"Be grateful, ya big palooka," Donald told him.

Silke ran off. Kinzoku raised one of his arms, then plucked his hand off with the other one. He dropped it. "Bomb Heartless!" A short, fat, round Heartless appeared, holding a silver cylinder. It handed it to Kinzoku, who attached it where his metal hand was. "There…" He shot a round of lasers at Sora, who promptly yelped.

"Guys, run outside!" Eclipse yelled. "We'll have more space!"

Coeur jumped off Bernie to nuzzle her younger brother's feet. "Myew!" she called to Bernie.

"Coeur says it's a good idea," Bernie translated. "Let's go!" They ran outside, with Kinzoku chasing them.

Lyze appeared behind Eclipse and tapped his shoulder. "Back off from this battle. Like I said, he's impervious to magic."

"You should back off instead. I don't believe you." Eclipse turned away.

She sighed. "Maybe that elementalist can talk some sense into you." Lyze tapped Emma's shoulder. "Tell Eclipse that he shouldn't use magic."

Emma glared. "Why should I listen to you?" Lyze opened her mouth, but Emma slashed her with the Hikari Sword before she could speak. "Ha! Get a load of…huh?" The sword harmlessly phased through the Viera. "But…you're…" Lyze smiled, then disappeared. "…I'm confused…HEY!" A stone bounced off Emma's head. "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE THROWING THAT STUFF, SORA!"

Sora pointed to the rock. "Look at it!"

Emma groaned. "It's just a stone. A stupid, brown…" She looked at it, and her eyes widened. "…glowing…stone! A new stone!" She picked it up, letting the words come to her. "GINGKO!" Her hair and eyes turned beige. She lifted her right arm; leaves flew off the trees around the lodge and towards Kinzoku. Then…they landed at Kinzoku's giant feet.

Kinzoku chuckled. "Do not feel too bad, elementalist. That attack might not have been so puny if magical effects did not work on me."

"Lyze was right…" Emma let the attack drain out of her. "And the Hikari Sword went right through her…maybe she really isn't bad."

"EMMA!" Both Riku and Eclipse's voices brought Emma out of her brief reverie. "TURN AROUND!"

Emma turned around, only to see Kinzoku's laser gun in her face. "WHOA!" The clicking of his gun loading made Emma shriek even louder.

"EMMA!" Eclipse yelled again.

A single laser shot out. Dust flew up everywhere. "Emma?" Riku started coughing. "Emma, are you okay?"

After a worried silence, someone else coughed, followed by, "I guess so." Emma stood up and brushed herself off. "What happened? Something pushed me…"

Jake was kneeling over Eclipse, who was sprawled on the ground. "I know who pushed you," he announced.

"Eclipse!" Emma ran over.

Riku glared at him. "I could've done that…"

Eclipse struggled to sit up, aided by Jake. The other Senshi flocked to him. "You're okay, aren't you, Emma?"

Emma nodded and smiled. "Thanks for asking."

"What? I already asked you that!"

Sora laughed and patted Riku's back. "Don't worry. I bet it's a phase." Sora cracked up before Riku could clarify what his friend was saying.

"You know, I could've taken that hit. I'm not some wimpy little girl. I'm the Senshi no Yon!" Emma told Eclipse proudly.

Eclipse chuckled. "Is it a crime to do favors?"

"I didn't ask you to take that hit. You just did it. That's not a favor."

Dia shrugged. "Ignore her, Eclipse. She's never been the best fighter she could be," she explained playfully. "She wants to prove she's a tough girl."

Emma lightly whacked her future stepsister. "Ignore Dia. She thinks that teasing other people makes her cool."

"Ahem…" A slightly disturbed Kinzoku was blankly staring at the Juu Senshi and Eclipse. "I believe we were fighting?"

"Oh. Yeah." Emma took the Hikari Sword back out. "No magic? I can deal with that." The others nodded and took out their weapons. Well, except for Eclipse, who slowly backed up. "HYAH!" She leapt onto the massive, steel creature in front of her and slashed his cheek, one of his few body parts with remaining skin.

Sora jumped behind him and whacked him with the Tsume Keyblade, pushing him forward about ten feet. "Let's take apart some of these plates!" Using his Keyblade as a crowbar, Sora pried Kinzoku's left faceplate off.

The Senshi turned pale. "That's gross!" Bernie covered her eyes.

Even Robin flinched. "Now I know why he had that on…"

"PUT IT BACK! PUT IT BACK!" Jake begged.

The left side of Kinzoku's face was horribly scarred and disfigured. Out of nowhere, the Phantom of the Opera Theme played.

"Dia…" Emma groaned.

Dia was whistling innocently. More specifically, she was whistling Phantom of the Opera. Suddenly, her eyes caught one of Kinzoku's plates. "Hey, why is there gibberish on that plate?"

Kinzoku glanced at it. "It is not gibberish. It is-"

"Al Bhed!" Bernie finished excitedly. "Guys, hit it!"

"Why?" Donald asked.

Bernie pointed at the plate, carefully sounding out the 'gibberish'. "Sy-kehl-tah-koo-duh-nay-ih-lu-doon…sykel tacdnildun! That means 'magic destructor' in Al Bhed! It's not his armor that's impervious to magic, it's that plate! It deflects everything!"

"I'm on it." Robin took it out with one shot of the Shinku Cannon. "Wanna do the honors, Quinn?"

Dia nodded, then got her staff ready. "Bow to insanity!"

Kinzoku started twitching, plates banging against each other. "Ma-ia-hii…ma-ia-huu…ma-ia ha…ma-ia-haha!"

The cyborg repeated this four more times. While he did, Kairi asked, "What's he singing?"

"It's a Romanian pop song called Dragostea Din Tei," Dia laughed. "More commonly known as the Numa Numa Song."

"Alo, salut, sunt eu, un haiduc! Si te rog, iubirea mea, primeste fericirea…" Kinzoku spun in a circle like a ballerina, then started bouncing around.

Eclipse wobbled around. "Don't make him bounce, Dia! We'll all fall off the cliff!"

"Okay," Dia replied deflatedly.

Kinzoku grabbed a branch and used it as a microphone. "Vrei sa pleci dar, nu ma, nu ma iei, nu ma, nu ma iei, nu ma, nu ma, nu ma iei! Chipul tau si, dragostea din tei, mi-amintesc de ochii tai!"

Donald tapped his foot on the wooden porch covering the cliff. "Is the song over? I want to leave as soon as we can."

"No…but I'm done."

"Thank goodness," Kinzoku sighed.

Dia grinned evilly. "I didn't say I was done with YOU." The Metal Daimyo gulped. The teenager pointed the Shihaii Wand at the cliff's edge.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Kinzoku screeched. As he stomped over to the edge, holes appeared where his feet were.

"It was nice meeting you, Daimyo Kinzoku!" Dia saluted Kinzoku. "But I'm afraid you have to leave now…"

Kinzoku jumped off the cliff, breaking part of the fence. A loud crash erupted, and metal plates flew up. "Well, that was amusing" Sora looked around for a keyhole. "Oh, there it is!" He ran back to the dining room door. A glowing keyhole appeared. Sora locked it quickly.

Goofy plucked a metal chain off the ground. "Gawrsh, I think that Daimyo Kinzoku feller must've dropped this."

"Huh? Lemme see." Sora took off the Tsume Keychain, then stuffed it into his pocket. "It looks really weird…but I'm pretty sure it's a keychain." He attached it. It became light silver, with small black lines running through it. The handle now looked like a red trigger. "I wonder what it does…" He squeezed the trigger, and red lasers came out. "Whoa!"

Haiiro, once again, appeared out of nowhere. "I hope you like your souvenir, Sora."

"What is this thing?"

"That is the Reza Keyblade. As you know, it has the ability to shoot lasers." Ansem's shell nodded. "Like the Sykel Tacdnildun plate, it will reflect most magical attacks." Haiiro floated over to the edge of the cliff, then looked down. "Is Daimyo Kinzoku dead?"

Sora shrugged. "I hope so," he answered, testing the Reza Keyblade's lasers.

Donald was still tapping his foot. "Can we go now?"

Dia shook her head, grabbing a DVD box off the ground. "It won't take long to get a room, since most of the tourists probably ran. I want to watch Rush Hour!" Jake opened his mouth. "No singing! Don't-"

"War! Hunh! Yeah!" Jake screamed the lyrics to WAR, overriding his sister's voice. "What is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Uh-huh, war! Hunh! Yeah!"

Bernie laughed. "Hey, Jake's nine! How did he get to see Rush Hour?"

"Dad doesn't care what he sees. For all he knows, Jake could've watched Kill Bill, Vol. 2 at 11:00 last night." Dia's voice was cracking as she tried to speak louder than Jake. "Let's go watch the movie. But let's turn down the sound when they're playing WAR…"

Robin covered her ears. "Whatever!" She whirled around. "SHADDUP, QUINN JR.! AGH!"

"Myeh."


	9. Where'd the Action Go?

"No more oatmeal, Mommy…" The next day, Emma, Robin, Bernie, and Kairi were lying in a lodge room. Dia was sitting on the couch, watching Shaman King. Robin was twitching and shoving the air. "I'm full…"

Emma sat up, yawning. "Morning, guys. Hmm?" She leaned to the side to look at Robin, and chuckled.

"Can I have waffles instead…?" Robin mumbled.

"Pancakes are better…" Kairi disagreed, also getting up groggily.

"Nah, waffles!" Dia turned around.

Bernie rubbed her eyes and glanced at the two fourteen-year-olds. "Muffins are the best…"

"Muffins," Emma echoed. Kairi gave a tired nod. Dia shrugged.

"MUFFIN!" Robin shot up, then rolled off the bed. The other four snorted. "Huh? What?" Robin glared at them, regaining her tough-girl attitude. "What're ya lookin' at?"

Coeur gave a meowing laugh. "Myew, myew, myew," she told Bernie.

Bernie picked her best friend up. "Yeah, it IS too bad the guys couldn't see this…"

Louder snickers came from the room's corner. They stopped as soon as they had started. Robin glared at the corner, then hit the air. "OW!" Several people yelled at once.

Eclipse and the male members of Juu Senshi fizzed into view. As they did, the thin, purple headband that Eclipse always wore was glowing, but as the boys became more visible, the glow was duller. Dia leapt up. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Don't worry, we've only-"

"SICKOS!" all the girls except for Bernie screeched.

Bernie looked the most uncomfortable, but being herself, mildly stated, "If that was a joke, it wasn't funny."

Eclipse sighed. "I know, I shouldn't have done that…but…" He jabbed his pointer finger at Sora. "…it was his idea!"

Sora's eyes widened. "Liar! You and Riku wanted to see Emma!"

Riku started stammering defensively, "N-no I didn't! Y-y-you wanted to see Kairi!"

"Gawrsh, we're sorry," Goofy apologized. "We-"

Robin pointed at Goofy. "So it was YER idea!"

"You fellers don't really believe that, do you?" he asked the girls.

Emma shrugged, followed by the other four. "Myew," Coeur decided.

"Goofy's real stupid." Robin put her finger down. "Now that I think about it, there's no way this could be his idea."

Goofy nodded happily. "Yeah, I'm…hey!"

Jake giggled, then straightened his face when Robin glared at him. "It couldn't be Quinn Jr…he's too babyish. He wouldn't wanna peek at us. And Duck's got a thing for that other duck, right? He doesn't strike me as the cheatin' type, so that takes 'im out too."

Dia nodded, then jabbed the last three in turn. "So that leaves the fifteen-year-olds."

"Why can't it be me? I'm not a baby!" Jake protested.

Bernie pet Jake's head. "You're out, Jake, and that's a good thing. You're obviously innocent, but don't make Robin and Dia suspect you."

Robin kneeled to get a better look at Jake. "Or maybe…he's pretendin' ta be babyish! Maybe it's really his idea!"

Dia shoved Robin. "Shut up, Fuudo! There's no way my sweet, little brother could be behind this sick joke!" She crossed her arms. "Okay…Takahashi?" Sora turned around from talking to the other two. "Ono?" Riku also turned around. "Kurosato?" Eclipse nervously faced Dia. "I'm letting the three of you go. There's no way to figure out which one of you it was, because you each like a girl in this room. You're all going free, okay? But I deem you all sickos."

"I don't want to be a sicko…" Eclipse complained quietly.

Robin flicked his head with her thumb and index finger. "Yer the one who set up the invisible field, so yer the best bet. Be thankful Quinn's freein' ya."

Emma and Kairi flinched. "Who do you think it was?" Emma whispered hoarsely.

Kairi shrugged. "I think it was Eclipse, but we'll probably never know."

"Yeah…" Emma glanced back at Kairi, then raised an eyebrow. "Mary-Sue!" she squealed, then scooted off.

Bernie prodded the TV. "Guys, it's July 3rd!" she called. "We've been on the road and fighting so much, we haven't had time to register that in our internal calendar!"

"Um…what?" Jake scratched his head.

"We forgot tomorrow was the 4th of July," she explained.

Riku shrugged. "So?"

"Oh, yeah, you guys aren't American…you aren't even real." Dia returned to her perch on the couch arm. "Tomorrow's the 4th of July. Us Americans call it Independence Day. It's when America stopped being controlled by Britain. Every year, people watch fireworks on beaches. Or buy them illegally and get swore at by the neighbors," she added.

Sora seemed to grasp this concept the most. "So…tomorrow's a big real-world holiday?"

"Only in the U.S.," Emma clarified.

Kairi clasped her hands together. "And we get to celebrate it?" Emma, Dia, Jake, Robin, and Bernie nodded. "YAY!" she squeaked.

"We'd better get dressed. Grandpa Man-Lady'll prob'ly come any minute." Robin opened a drawer underneath the TV. "Seems 'bout time fer 'im ta give us our next destination. Crazy ol' man forgot ta tell us when he toldjya 'bout the new keychain, Sora?"

Sora nodded. "Let's go back to the room, guys."

"And don't come back in until we say it's okay!" Dia yelled. "No more taking peeks." The boys raised their hands defensively and left.

"Heh." Jake was grinning happily. "Thanks for not telling them, guys."

FLASHBACK

"I wanna go to the next state now!" Jake was sitting on his lodge bed, sticking his lower lip out.

Riku yawned and sighed. "Not until the girls wake up."

"Then let's go wake them up!"

Sora shook his head fiercely. "No, they might already be up, and…" His face got red. "…getting dressed."

Jake stood up. "Or they could be sleeping! Let's wake them up!"

Eclipse rubbed his eyes. "It's not like we can open their door. It's probably locked. And I'm not banging and screaming at 6:48 AM."

"Myeh." Jake poked Eclipse headband. "Is that like a cartoon headband?"

"What?"

"In cartoons, some magicians have headbands or stuff like that to restrain their powers."

Eclipse shrugged. "Restrain and channel."

"Well, if you need to restrain something, then can you do more than teleport, read minds, and move stuff with your mind?" Jake started poking both sides of his head on the word 'mind'.

"Yeah," Eclipse replied proudly. His smile started to fade away. "I don't like where this is going…"

Jake stuck his face in the Nekoshu's. "Can you become invisible?"

Eclipse sighed. "Yes…" Jake grinned.

… … …

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Jake, and Eclipse appeared in the girls' room. "Cool, we're invisible!" Jake looked down at his hands. At least, where he thought they were. Next, he looked at the beds. Emma was sleeping in the window-side bed. Kairi was a bit to the left, and Bernie was in a sleeping bag placed in the middle, with Coeur next to her head. Robin was in another sleeping bag, in front of Emma's bed. Dia was sitting on the couch, eyes glued to the TV.

Riku sighed happily. "They're sleeping. Good. "I thought they were…y'know."

"You wish." Sora playfully jabbed him with his elbow.

"So, let's wake them up!" Jake whispered. His voice grew louder. "Hey-" Robin's snores drowned him out. Jake smirked. "Or, we could watch them for a while…" Jake sat down and watched Robin. "Hey, you guys know about Dream Possession?" The others shrugged. "It's what Dia and I call…well, you'll see."

Donald tapped his foot on the carpet. "You'd better not get us in trouble," he warned.

Jake lightly poked Robin's forehead. "Hey, Robin, do you like oatmeal?" he whispered.

"No, no oatmeal…"

"All we have for breakfast is oatmeal."

"I dun like oatmeal…"

"We have oatmeal coming out of the wazoo, so you'll need to get rid of some by eating it."

Robin shook her head. "No, no wazoo-oatmeal…"

Goofy barely stifled a laugh. Jake cleared his throat, then tried to imitate a woman. "Now, Robin, I am your mother, and I demand that you eat this oatmeal!"

"No, Mommy, no oatmeal…"

"Would you rather help me shave my legs?"

"No hair…no oatmeal…"

"Choose, young lady!"

"No…"

"Eat it!" Jake snatched a pencil off the desk, then jabbed it into Robin's mouth. "You have to eat ten spoonfuls of it!"

Robin whimpered. "No more oatmeal, Mommy…I'm full…"

END FLASHBACK

"No problem, Jake." Sora patted Jake on the back. "Of course, now the girls think we're-"

While Sora finished his sentence through gritted teeth, Eclipse covered up Jake's ears, who patiently watched the Keyblade Master curse inaudibly. (A/N: Gotta love Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory…)

Riku glared. "Are you done now?" Sora nodded. Eclipse let go of Jake's head. "Come on, Sora, there's a nine-year-old in our presence!"

Sora shrugged. "Okay, sorry. We'd better get dressed too."

Jake tugged at Riku's giant pants. "Do you think the girls are ready yet?"

"Are you kidding? Girls take forever to get ready. The really girly ones, anyway…"

Eclipse laughed. "They all play video games. They're not girly."

"Well, Bernie looks kinda girly…"

"Oh, please! YOU wear more pink than Bernie!"

Riku glanced down at his pink bunny slippers. "Listen, I never liked you. Until you said that, I was about to let that slip."

Sora whispered, "And until he took your girl…" Next thing he knew, the Soul Eater was an inch away from his nose.

"Let's just get dressed," Donald groaned.

… … …

Emma sifted through her drawer. "What do you guys think, the Invader Zim shirt or the Disney World one?"

"Do ya realize that ya wore both of 'em in the last three days?" Robin poked her head out of the bathroom. "The lodge dun have a washin' machine."

"Uh…" Emma sniffed the Disney World shirt, then the Invader Zim one. She made a gagging noise. "Disney World it is, then."

Kairi covered her eyes. " Guys, can you close the blinds some more? The sun's blinding me…"

"That's not the sun," Dia told her in a horrified voice.

The girls stared at the familiar, white light in the middle of the room. "Good morning, Juu Senshi." Haiiro floated out of it. "It is nice to-"

Haiiro was interrupted with a blow to the head, falling to the floor. "WE'RE GETTING DRESSED!" Emma, Dia, Robin, and Kairi whirled around. Bernie's face was unusually red. Her gloved hands were balled into fists, one of which was near where Haiiro's head was. "WHAT'S WITH YOU GUYS AND PEEKING AT US?"

"Please, Bernie!" Haiiro shut his eyes as he got up. "I did not mean to-"

"SICKO!" Bernie directed her foot at Haiiro and kicked him where the sun doesn't shine. He promptly made a high-pitched squealing noise. "THAT'S WHAT YOU GET!" she roared.

The other girls were gaping blankly at her like fish. "You just…just…" Emma stuttered.

"That was disturbingly un-Bernie…" Kairi noted.

"It's like watching Love Hina," Dia murmured.

"Whadda ya know? Loony can actually kick butt!" Robin looked impressed, for once. "I mean…y'know." She made some pointing gestures at the sprawled Haiiro.

"How do we keep him there until we're done getting dressed?" Emma asked. Bernie just smirked at the replica.

… … …

Five minutes later, Haiiro was facing a window, tied to a chair and blindfolded. Someone had stuck a crudely made dunce cap on his head. "Nice work, ladies." Dia recapped a marker.

"This is fun!" Kairi squealed.

Bernie put her chin in her hand. "Are you sure this is all necessary? I mean, it really wasn't his fault…"

Robin stared at Bernie as she adjusted the rope. "Loony, this was yer idea!" She resumed tightening Haiiro to the chair, mumbling something about severe mood swings.

Bernie nodded faintly. "Oh, yeah…well, we can get dressed now, can't we?"

Looking thoroughly freaked out, the other girls nodded and returned to the dresser. "I said I was sorry…" Haiiro whimpered.

… … …

Another five minutes later, Coeur climbed on top of Haiiro's head, knocking off the dunce hat. "Myew." She gripped the bandanna covering Haiiro's eyes with her teeth, then dragged it away.

Haiiro stood up shakily. "Are you done tying me up?"

"Yes," Bernie replied, looking apologetic. "I…do that, sometimes…it's a…minor personality…thing."

"MINOR?" Robin exploded. "YA KICKED 'IM IN THE CROTCH!" There was a knock at the door. Robin turned around. "Come in!"

The boys trailed in silently. "We could hear you," Jake announced. The girls shrugged it off, so he turned to Haiiro. "So, where are we going next?"

Haiiro adjusted his collar and returned to his prim, important self. "The Great Wolf Lodge in the Wisconsin Dells. I have reports that indicate Rei no Aku is heading there."

"That place is awesome!" Jake gushed. "They have an animatronic show!"

Dia groaned. "Not that…I almost climbed that plaster tree house and ripped the circuits out of that fur trader…"

"I bet they'll have a neat 4th of July show," Emma said hopefully. "That'll be pretty cool."

Sora grinned. "Well, what're we waiting for? Let's go!"


	10. Sadym

"23 bottles of beer on the wall, 23 bottles of beeeeeeeeeer…"

Sora jabbed Jake's back with one finger as they sat in Dia's van. "Jake, we're in here too."

Jake raised an eyebrow, then nodded quickly. "Oh. Sorry." He cleared his throat. "23 cups of sake on the wall, 23 cups of sake…"

Robin growled. "First of all, it's pronounced 'sah-kay'. Second, I think Sora meant that ya shouldn't sing loudly when there're other people 'round."

"Myeh," Jake replied flatly.

Dia glanced at her rear view mirror to get a good view of her little brother. "You can sing later." She slammed down on the brake, causing her passengers to hit their heads on the seats in front of them. "Well, we're here."

"Wow! It's better than I imagined it!" Kairi cooed.

Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and Eclipse all gaped as they stuck their heads out the window. "Big, isn't it?" Emma smiled.

"Yeah!" Kairi pushed her door open and hopped out. "Can we go to the water park before we have to kick butt?"

Robin snorted. "Whadda ya mean 'we'? All ya do is…" She held out both palms and squealed, "Heart goes bye-bye!"

"Robin! Don't tease Kairi like that!" Sora reprimanded. "She took a Behemoth down in five seconds by using that!"

Kairi lightly tapped Sora's arm. "No, Sora, she's right…if I didn't have the powers that come with being a Princess of Heart, I'd be helpless."

"Well," Bernie sighed. "I hate to say it, but at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts, you run like…um…"

"A complete and utter wimp," Donald finished.

Bernie glared at him, her face reminiscent of when she had attacked Haiiro. "Thank you," she finally got out through gritted teeth.

Kairi scrunched up her shoulders and stalked off towards the lodge. "I know."

Bernie looked down at Donald, who cracking up. She closed her fist around his feathered neck and picked him up. "What…is…your…PROBLEM?"

Donald started shivering. He was twitching uncontrollably. "The truth hurts sometimes…?" Donald offered. Bernie must have disagreed, because she put her other hand on Donald's neck and wrung it.

"Bernie!" Jake yelled nervously. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting revenge for Kairi," Bernie stated calmly, though she was still red-faced and twisting Donald's neck.

Eclipse backed away slowly. "I hope she never does that to me…"

"Jake, stop her!" Riku hissed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but we can't afford to lose that duck. He's a good magician."

Jake nodded and pulled out the Ikiteiru Shield and aimed at Bernie's Uranaishi Gloves. "Animate!" Bernie's hands flew towards the right, then to the left, dragging her and Donald with them. Jake made Bernie's gloves shake mercilessly. "Let go of Donald!" he ordered.

"Jake," Donald gasped, turning blue. "You're not helping!"

"I'm sorry!" he whimpered in return.

Something began to pry Bernie's fingers off of Donald. She dropped him, but something caught him. Eclipse's eyes were glowing a soft purple color. "I got you." Using telekinesis, he lowered Donald to the ground. "All right, that's better, isn't it?" Donald nodded slowly.

Bernie continued to glare at the magician. "He hurt Kairi's feelings! I have to make him pay!" she told Eclipse, though keeping her eyes glued to her target.

"If you want to help, let's go find Kairi," Eclipse reasoned as his eyes went back to brown.

Coeur pawed at Bernie's ear. "Myew," she agreed.

"Yeah…" Bernie sighed. "You're right." She and the rest of Juu Senshi walked into the Great Wolf Lodge.

… … …

"I told you that you should have let me go defeat the Juu Senshi instead of that red-headed tin can." Silke sat on a couch in the Quinns' basement, looking smug. "Now look at him! You should have sent me."

Taylor paced around a bed in the middle of the basement, with fragments of Kinzoku on it; three Al Bhed men were trying to fit pieces of him together. "I won't have you referring to Daimyo Kinzoku as 'that red-headed tin can', Daimyo Sakura. Or else-"

"Oh, y-y-yes, f-forgive me, Shogun Quinn," Silke stuttered, and finished with a bow.

Lyze clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Interrupting Mr. Shogun, Daimyo Sakura? That's two strikes." She hopped down from her seat on the radiator.

Taylor glanced at her. "Thank you, Daimyo Rune, but I can't let Daimyo Sakura go. She's the best Daimyo I have."

"Yes," Silke agreed with a smirk. "The best."

Lyze growled, stole a look at her hologram table, then tapped one of the Al Bheds on the shoulder. "Rao, Sadym? Lyh oui tu sa y vyjun?"

He turned around. "Fryd ec ed, Lyze?"

Guardian appeared and glared at the Al Bhed. "Sadym, stop talking to the Daimyo and get back to work! And do not call her 'Lyze'! It is too informal of a name to call your superior!"

"Ur, bid y culg eh ed!" Sadym snapped. "Oui cyo ouincamv dryd Ansem fungat vun oui, pid ra ryt oui nihhehk annyhtc! Tu oui naymmo drehg E's kuehk du fung vun Ansem's tuk?"

"Er…" Guardian blinked. "…what?"

"Go, Sadym!" Lyze cheered.

"What did he say?" Guardian demanded. "I heard him say 'Ansem'! He said 'Ansem', did he not?"

Lyze laughed. "He said he's not going to take orders from Ansem's ex-dog."

Guardian pulled back his fist. "Why, you-"

"Guardian!" Taylor stepped forward. "Leave Sadym alone. Sadym, get back to work."

Sadym bowed. "Of course, Shogun Quinn," he murmured quietly and respectively. "Right away."

Guardian's yellow eyes bugged out. "You can speak English?"

"Fryd tu oui lyna, tuk?" Sadym gave Guardian a dirty look and returned to inspecting Kinzoku's parts.

Lyze bent down and whispered quickly in Al Bhed. Although she was speaking to Sadym, she was looking at a hologram of Kairi. "Got that?" Sadym paused his work, then nodded and once again resumed sifted through some metal discs. "Okay. See you there."

… … …

"It's all right, Donald didn't mean that…" Bernie assured the unusually somber Kairi.

Kairi shook her head. "No, he DID mean it…and he's right." She plopped onto a lodge bed and laid on it. "You guys go to the water park. I'm going to brood."

Bernie sighed. "Kairi, you have to come. It'll be fun."

"Wimps don't deserve fun."

Emma walked over, along with Robin and Dia. "I think we should let her cool off for a while."

"Make her cool off at the water park! That's what they're for!" Bernie insisted.

Coeur curled up next to Kairi. "Myew. Myew, myew, myew."

Bernie sighed again, then nodded. "I guess you can keep her company. But you'll be missing out on a lot of fun…"

Kairi sat up. "Wimps don't deserve fun," she repeated faintly, as if she was talking to Bernie from a distance.

"Okay, okay…" Bernie looked slightly deflated. "We have to change into our bathing suits. Maybe that'll give you time to change your mind…"

"WIMPS DON'T DESERVE FUN!" Kairi screamed. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?"

Everyone else took a step or two back nervously. "Calm down, Kairi," Dia said as she bumped into the wall while scooting backwards.

Kairi glanced at everyone with half-lidded eyes, then collapsed back onto the bed. "That was freaky," Robin noted.

… … …

"I didn't know water could hurt so much," Sora lamented, dripping wet.

Dia laughed, wringing her hair out. "Well, that big bucket's going to pour out again in seven minutes."

The 10-ton bucket atop Fort McKenzie, a wooden castle in the water park, creaked back to its original position to refill itself. Jake was laying on the ground due to the force of the spilling water. "The pain…is fun…" he insisted. "It's fun…"

Emma was standing on the 2nd floor of the fort, shooting an angry Donald with a water gun. "No, this is fun!" Emma called down.

Something sprayed them, causing them to look up. "Hey, guys!" Eclipse was holding a thin, rubber hose. Emma shot the water gun at him instinctively. "It got up my nose…" He put his finger over one nostril and blew, trying to get the chlorinated water out.

"Attention visitors!" a lifeguard called. "Please evacuate the water park! Security is taking care of the problem, but we need you to leave temporarily."

Eclipse, Donald, and Emma crawled down from Fort McKenzie. "Do you think…?" Eclipse started.

"Rei no Aku," the Juu Senshi groaned.

"I'll get Kairi," Bernie announced.

Sora shook his head. "You're not going alone."

"I'll go," Emma volunteered. She and Bernie swam to the exit.

… … …

"Kairi, it's us, Bernie and Emma!" Bernie called. "Let us in!"

There was no response. "We think Rei no Aku planted some Heartless in the water park!"

The door opened silently, but nobody was standing on the other side. "Myew?" Coeur asked nervously.

Sadym jumped out at them, covering their mouths. "Fa ryja ehdnitanc, Lyze."

"Ehdnitanc? Fru yna drao?" Lyze called back.

Bernie and Emma looked nervously at each other. Coeur meowed pitifully. Sadym glanced down at them. "Uha uv dras ec faynehk kmyccac. Dra udran uha ryc y lyd uh ran cruimtan."

"Mad ic ku!" Bernie wrenched her head free. "Mad ic ku!" she demanded again.

Emma raised an eyebrow, then hesitantly echoed, "Mad ic ku!"

"Hu," Sadym replied stiffly. "Lyze ec pico fedr dra Bnehlacc."

"What did he say?" Emma asked.

"Lyze is busy with Kairi," Bernie mumbled back. "I bet she's torturing her."

"Yeah?" Emma growled. "Mary-Sue or not, we have to save her!"

Bernie nodded. "Yeah! We have to kick this Al Bhed's but! But how?"

Sadym looked like he was on the verge of laughter. "I can understand English, you know." He looked at Bernie. "You speak Al Bhed very well." He looked briefly at Emma. "Ec cra dra amasahdymecd?"

"Oac. Fro tu oui fyhd du ghuf?"

Sadym shrugged. "Hu naycuh, naymmo. E zicd fyhdat du caa dra kenm fru Lyze vuikrd, yht fru Cbened uv Ajem ec yvdan."

"If you can speak English, speak English!" Emma ordered. "I can't understand you!"

"That's the point, amasahdymecd."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Ah-ma-sah-dee-what?"

"Amasahdymecd," Sadym repeated. "It means 'elementalist'."

"I should've known…" Emma scowled. "Where's Kairi?"

Sadym frowned. "Lyze is working with her right now."

"Let Kairi go!" Bernie yelled. "I KNOW YOU'RE THERE, DAIYMYO RUNE! GIVE KAIRI BACK!"

Lyze turned the corner, looking slightly vexed. "I'm almost done. Calm down, you two."

"GIVE HER BACK!"

Lyze groaned. "Sadym?"

"Right." Sadym clamped a hand back over Bernie and Emma's mouths.

"It's okay, guys." Kairi stepped forward, wearing two metal armlets with intricate, pastel designs. "Lyze and Sadym are good guys."

Emma jerked her hand free to point at Kairi. "What's on your wrist?"

Lyze smiled. "We heard her complaining about how weak she was, so we gave her these!"

Kairi held out her right hand and shot a thin, sparkling white beam out the door. She also smiled, full of pride. "The Gyene Armlets."


	11. Since When Was This a CoM Fic?

"The Gyene Armlets?" Emma repeated, looking confused. She turned to the French girl beside her. "Does Gyene mean something in Al Bhed?"

Bernie nodded slowly. "Gyene means…Kairi."

"I know! These were made specially for me!" Kairi pranced around in a circle, then happily looked over her new weapons.

"KAIRI!" Sora's voice echoed from down the hall. "EMMA!" He and the rest of Juu Senshi came barreling through the door. "BERNIE! WE NEED YOU GUYS! WE…"

Sora's voice trailed off as he saw Lyze and Sadym with Bernie, Emma, and Kairi, allowing Riku to speak. "What's going on?"

Lyze smiled. "I gave Kairi some weapons, that's all."

Kairi resumed her prancing, then showed her armlets off once again. "Awesome…" Eclipse murmured. "How do they work?"

"Like this!" Kairi made a hand motion, indicating her wish for the rest of Juu Senshi and the two Rei no Aku members to scoot to the side. She pointed her arms out the door, but nothing happened. "Um…I need a refill, Lyze."

Lyze crossed her arms, then with a expression of mock anger, scolded, "You're out already?" Kairi nodded sheepishly. "I can't blame you, they're cool. They get used up easily." She pulled two white cards out of her pocket, then slipped them into a compartment in the armlets.

"How'd you get those?" Dia stared blankly at the cards. "You didn't…did you?"

"Did she what?" Donald asked impatiently.

"There's no way…"

"WHAAAAAT?"

Dia held out her hand. "Can I see one?" Lyze shrugged and handed her a card. "Whoa!" She passed it to Jake, who squealed and passed it to Emma, who passed it to Bernie, who passed it to Robin.

"WHAT IS IT?" Donald yelled again. Robin reared a fist back. The duck silenced immediately.

Robin moved the card back and forth. "This's a card from Castle Oblivion."

"Smart kid," Lyze replied. "Mr. Shogun found your Chain of Memories cartridge, Dia and Jake, and made me find a way to get into the game. I did, and I found this cute little blonde girl. She said she'd give me these cards if I promised to give them to Kairi. And if I gave her some information."

"Naminé!" Jake's eyes widened to their fullest extent. "Naminé gave you those?"

The real-world members turned to Kairi, who was looking nothing but creeped-out. "I don't get it. How does she know my name?"

"Valley Girl, Naminé's your Nobody!" An incredulous Robin tossed the card back to Lyze. "The dark side of your heart!"

Coeur meowed softly into Bernie's ear. "Yeah, like Haiiro and Miaow," Bernie answered.

"Apparently…" Lyze said loudly to stop the Juu Senshi from going on about Naminé and the cards. "…Castle Oblivion's in an uproar. They all want to know where Sora and Riku are. They don't know about the rest of you. Y'know, how you changed the game."

Emma nodded. "So Naminé wanted to know what was going on."

"Precisely. I told her about you guys, in exchange for the cards." Lyze's look faded. "Of course, Organization XIII will probably be on your tail now. I have no doubts that Marluxia's going to weasel the information out of that kid."

Screaming came from the lower floors. Sadym glanced at Lyze. "Dryd ryc du pa Silke," he murmured. "Oui lyh aqbmyeh drehkc du dra Dah Vekrdanc mydan. Nekrd huf, drao ryja du vekrd Silke."

"Veha, veha." Lyze grunted. "Tuh'd kad cu fungat ib. Silke syo pa cdnuhk, pid cra'c hud dryd csynd. E pad cra'mm nih cdnyekrd ehdu y fymm frema cra'c muugehk vun ic." She laughed a little.

Sadym shrugged. "Frydajan oui cyo."

"What're they saying?" Jake glanced briefly at Bernie, then switched his eyes back to Lyze and Sadym when they turned.

Bernie scratched her head. "Silke is downstairs, and the Al Bhed guy wants some people named the Ten Fighters to help."

Robin rolled her eyes and slapped Bernie's head. "WE'RE the Ten Fighters, Loony!"

Bernie was, for some reason, surprised. "Oh, is THAT what 'Juu Senshi' means?"

"It should really be Juu-ni Senshi, Twelve Fighters, if you count Hart and me," Eclipse added.

Riku glared at him. "You're not a JUU Senshi," Riku told him through gritted teeth, putting emphasis on the word 'Juu'. The Nekoshu raised his hands defensively.

Sadym and Lyze turned to the Juu Senshi. "Lyze tells me that you guys are tough. Prove it, and I'll give you all a little treat. Go fight Silke, okay?"

Sora held up the Reza Keyblade. "You can count on us!"

Sadym and Lyze bowed. "We have faith in you, Juu Senshi," Sadym assured them. "You'll be the ones to destroy Rei no Aku. We know it."

The Juu Senshi marched out the door. Sora was proudly singing, "I don't know, but it's been said!"

"I don't know, but it's been said!"

"We'll gonna smack Silke in the head!"

"We'll gonna smack Silke in the head!"

"We'll destroy Rei no Aku!"

"We'll destroy Rei no Aku!"

"I think Jake still watches Pooh!" Kairi interrupted with a grin.

"I think Jake still watches Pooh!"

Eclipse looked thoroughly grossed-out. "He watches poo?"

Sora laughed and patted the steaming nine-year-old next to him. "Here we go again."

… … …

The water park was empty, except for a certain blonde swords expert. "Oh, Juu Senshi! I know you are here!" she called in a sweet, sing-song voice. "You can come out! It is only your old friend Silke Sakura!"

"My pet rock was a better friend than you!"

Silke looked around with a smirk. "I thought so. Come out, and we can play in the water," she offered patronizingly.

"So you want to play in the water? Fine by me!"

Several gallons of water appeared out of thin air and was dumped on Silke. Bernie ran in, her orange-gloved hands balled into fists. "Insolent seer!" the Daimyo spat, rubbing water out of her eyes.

"Oh, Silke, you look so wet and cold!" Sora and the others ran in. "Let's warm you up!" Sora held out the Reza Keyblade, with Donald, Emma, Dia, and Bernie following up with their corresponding weapons. "FIRAGA!" they chorused.

Silke's eyes widened, and she impulsively jumped into the water. "Trying to get away?" Emma touched the Blizzard Stone. A familiar blue mist seeped in, and pillars of ice surrounded Emma. "YUKI NAIFU!" She jumped onto the highest pillar and sat there. "Water is just melted ice," Emma mused. "I wonder…" She held out her hand, and the water Silke was in froze. Emma motioned for the others to come over.

Robin made a clucking noise as she jogged towards the blue girl. "Stupid Silke…she shoulda seen that coming." She then started laughing at the absurdly posed figure under the ice. "She looks like a frostbitten freak down there."

Emma stood up, then jumped into the ice. It rippled, but didn't crack, as if it was simply water. "Cool!" Jake squealed. He tried to jump in too.

Luckily, Dia picked him up, then tapped on the ice with her knuckles. "We can't go through."

"Myeh."

Emma's grabbed onto Silke's arm, then tried to pull her back up. However, Silke just stayed there. "Oh, yeah. She can't phase through ice." She climbed out of Silke's prison, then looked at the magic users of Juu Senshi. "Use Firaga on the ice!"

"FIRAGA!" they called again. Nothing happened.

Robin grunted. "Baecker, ya made the ice too hard. Get ridda it!"

"I can't," Emma whimpered.

"Why not?" Robin demanded. It was then that she noticed Emma had brown eyes. There was no more blue mist, either. "Oh. That's why."

Eclipse adjusted his headband. "Lemme try something…" His eyes started glowing lavender, and he raised his arms slowly. The ice cracked a bit, but nothing else happened. "Okay, let's try this the hard way." He extended his arms, then jerked them back immediately. It cracked a little more.

 _We both know how to solve this, Eclipse,_  a voice told him mentally.  _Well, I do, anyway. Do you?_

Eclipse's left hand glowing a deep purple color. He hid it under his shirt, glad that the others were busy with their own plans.  _I…I know. But I won't do it!_

 _Summon it, Eclipse,_ the voice, which Eclipse registered as Lyze's, insisted.

_Leave me alone._

_Rei no Aku needs you,_  Lyze explained.

Eclipse scowled.  _I thought you didn't care about them._

_Oh, I don't. But I think you have the potential to be the Magic Daimyo._

The teenager froze.  _M-m-magic…Daimyo?_

_Yep._

_What about you, huh?_

_I want to quit. But if I do, Mr. Shogun will destroy Ivalice. But if someone else replaces me, someone better, he'll welcome the switch._

_So you're taking advantage of my powers to leave your job._

Lyze's pleading voice suddenly turned to an indignant one.  _It's more than that! I have to protect Ivalice! Plus…don't you want to save your sister?_

_I already told you, I don't need your help to make Hart a Nekoshu again._

_Oh, come on. If Taylor and the rest of his goons can take a heart away, can't they put it back?_

_So now he's Taylor, huh? Not Mr. Shogun?_

_Think of this as my official resignation._

_I'm not joining Rei no Aku._

_At least get Silke out of the ice, okay?_

Eclipse sighed and stalked back over to the ice. He held out his glowing hand, and the Yami Sword appeared in it.  _If you say so,_ he mumbled in his head. He plunged the sword in the ice, and a wave of darkness spread through it, prompting the ice to break completely. Eclipse heard the talking behind him stop, so he hurriedly made the sword disappear.

"What happened?" Emma asked.

"Um…nothing. I just, ah…used some good ol' psychic powers!" Eclipse laughed nervously, but the others ignored it. "Um…yeah." He resumed trying to levitate Silke out by jerking her. Finally, something flew out of the ice shard-filled pool, landing on the water park's tiled floor with a sickening thump.

Dia ran over and prodded the unconscious Silke with the Shihaii Wand. "Well, she's breathing…is that good or bad?"

"Eh." Lyze and Sadym appeared by Silke's body. "I'll take her back to Taylor," Lyze decided.

Jake scratched his head. "I thought you called Daddy 'Mr. Shogun'!"

Lyze just smiled oddly and disappeared, along with Silke. Sadym fidgeted with the pocket of the uniform that Taylor gave all of the machina workers. "Well, that was certainly a short battle…but either way, Silke's out of the picture, so you guys get your prizes."

"YAY!" Jake shrieked.

Twitching from Jake's explosion, Sadym pulled out a dark, pulsing sphere. It was all black, except for a white-and-purple light in the middle. "This for you, Riku. Catch!"

Riku caught the ball, then squinted at it. Before he had a chance to ask what it was, it soaked into Riku's hand. "HEY!" he yelled. "WHAT DID YOU JUST DO TO ME?"

"I gave you a new ability," Sadym explained calmly. "It's called Dark Aura."

"Dark?" Riku complained angrily. "I don't do darkness anymore."

Sadym shrugged. "So? You can still use it. Lyze got this from Castle Oblivion. She was going to give it to…" He trailed off. "Well, it wasn't meant for you. But now it is," he added quickly.

"What do I get?" Jake asked, jumping up and down.

"Chill out." Sadym gave him a small pack of blue cards. "These are magic cards from-"

"From Castle Oblivion, we know," Robin interrupted emotionlessly.

Sadym glared at her. "Yeah, that's it." He turned back to Jake. "Anyway, these cards let you do magic now, like Blizzard and Aero, even though you have a shield, not a staff."

"Ohhhhh…neat!" Jake took the cards and stuffed them into the Ikiteiru Shield.

Robin stood on tiptoe and stuck her face in Sadym's. "Whaddaya got fer me, wimp?"

Sadym glared at her again. "E drehg oui'na secdygah; OUI'NA dra fesb. Ouin fruma yenraytat pegan lrelg kadib ec bnupypmo y nica."

Bernie cracked up. "What did he say?" Robin demanded.

In-between laughs, Bernie replied, "He said you're a wimp too."

"That's the best you could come up with?"

"No, but there's a nine-year-old in our presence," Sadym reminded her.

Robin snorted. "Like I said…wimp."

"THAT'S IT!" Sadym punched Robin in the jaw. The others stared blankly at him as Robin fell to the floor. "I'll get this over quickly." He set various cards on the ground. "The card with the Shadow Heartless on it, Incrementor, is for Sora. It raises your attack level. The pack of white cards is more ammo for Kairi's Gyene Armlets."

Kairi inserted them into the armlets. "Thanks!" she squealed.

"The Ether cards are for Donald," Sadym continued. "The other pack of magic cards is for Goofy. The other Incrementor cards are for Emma, Dia, and Bernie. Sorry, Coeur, but I couldn't get a gift for you."

Coeur meowed. "She says it's okay," Eclipse translated.

Robin sat up slowly. "What about MY gift?" she rasped.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Sadym took out a metal bracelet. He slipped it onto Robin's wrist. "There you go." He sounded happier now, but he was smirking.

"Cool. It's a machina armlet, right?"

Sadym grinned evilly. "Something like that."

"Excuse me, Sadym, but do I get something?" Eclipse asked.

Sadym's grin softened into a normal one, devoid of all maniacal plans. "Come over here…your present has to be secret." He led Eclipse a few yards away. "Lyze told you she's quitting, right?"

"Yes," he replied flatly.

"Your gift is a recommendation," Sadym announced. "I was one of the Al Bhed who originally worked on Kinzoku's machina plates. If I tell Kinzoku about you, he'll tell the Shogun about you. And you can be the Magic Daimyo!"

Eclipse glanced at Coeur, who was perched on Bernie's shoulder. She glanced back at her brother, giving a happy meow. Eclipse sighed, then turned back to Sadym. "I'll consider it."


	12. Life in the Waterways

Eclipse sat on one of the beds in his lodge room, examining the Yami Sword.  _I promised myself I'd never even consider helping the darkness…but I have to help Hart._

"Hey, Eclipse!" Sora shouted, running in. Eclipse hurriedly ordered the sword to vanish. "Look at this!" He showed the Nekoshu his new Keyblade. The blade was red and curved, like a scimitar. The handle was dark brown, and the keychain was a wolf's head. "The Ookami Keyblade! That means wolf! Y'know, like Great Wolf Lodge! Huh? Huh? Impreeeeessed?" Sora asked happily. "Eclipse?" He scratched his head. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Eclipse grinned. "Don't worry about me. Where are the others?"

Sora shrugged. "They're probably still eating."

"Why aren't you?"

"I eat fast. REAL fast." Sora backed up his statement by giving out a brief yet thundering belch.

Eclipse twitched. "That's nice, Sora."

The Keyblade Master scratched his head again. "Sorry. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes," Eclipse replied firmly. "I'm just thinking about…things."

Sora shrugged. "Fine with me." He dropped a tube-shaped wrapper and a small, salty-smelling box on the bed. "I got you a hot dog and fries. Eat 'em when you feel like it." He walked out of the room, mumbling, "Maybe I shouldn't have had that 3rd burger…"

Eclipse laughed.  _He's so weird._ He re-summoned the Yami Sword, and resumed his inspection of it.  _I may have promised not to side with the darkness…but that's not the only promise I made._

FLASHBACK

"Aw, you look so cute!" a tall girl cooed at 9-year-old Eclipse. She had shoulder-length, black hair. She wore a tan, leather vest, and black leather pants. "You're going to do great," she added as she saw the other Nekoshu's face.

Eclipse crossed his arms. "I can't do this," he told her in a childish voice.

"You can," the girl insisted. "You're the new chief. All the Nekoshus are depending on you. Besides, doesn't ruling your own chunk of land sound fun?"

"Pffffft." Eclipse glanced around the waterway of Hollow Bastion. "I'd rather eat my shoe."

The girl lightly whacked him. "No, CHIEF Kurosato, that's what DOGS do. You're a cat."

"Half-cat," he corrected.

"Half-cat," she agreed. "And the waterway's fun. We get to eavesdrop on that king!"

Eclipse shrugged. "That's not my style. You're the trickster, not me."

"Trickster? You make it sound bad. I prefer, 'graceful, cat-like, eavesdropperish…like…person'."

A voice from down the waterway's hall yelled, "Chief Kurosato! Head Warrior Kurosato! It's time for your coronation!"

Eclipse sighed. "Well, no turning back. Guess I'm going to be Chief of the Nekoshus."

"You're going to do great," the girl repeated, ushering him down the hall.

"I hope so." Eclipse smiled at the girl. "Thanks, Hart."

… … …

"We are gathered here for the coronation of Eclipse and Hart Kurosato." An exceedingly old man stood atop a slab of wet, molding concrete. Next to him were the crown siblings, wearing intricate, fang-fringed clothes. "The tin, please?" he asked a boy nearby. His hair looked like a clump of oatmeal.

The boy nodded. "Yes, sir." He passed a silver tin of black liquid to the old man.

"Eclipse, would you please step forward?" Sweating, the young Nekoshu obeyed. The old man passed the tin to him.

Eclipse gulped and stuck his finger in the liquid, which was paint. He smeared it into two spiked, whisker-like marks on both cheeks. "H-h-hart?" he mumbled.

"Heh-heh. Calm down, baby bro." Hart grinned fearlessly and took the tin, smearing the whiskers onto her own cheeks.

The old man smiled gently. "I hereby declare you…" He slipped a necklace with three fangs on it over Eclipse's head. "…Chief Eclipse Kurosato, ruler of the Nekoshu tribe." Next, he turned to Hart. "And I declare you…" He gave her an identical necklace, except for the fact that hers only had one fang. "…Head Warrior Hart Kurosato."

"Thank you, Ka Gen," Eclipse and Hart murmured simultaneously, bowing. Cheers erupted from the crowd of Nekoshus watching the ceremony.

Eclipse tugged on his sister's sleeve. "So…I'm really the chief now?"

"Yup." Hart grinned. "I mean…" She bowed mockingly. "Yes, Chief Kurosato, sir." Eclipse whacked her in the head.

… … …

"Fish-fish-fish-fish-fish-fish-fish!" Hart ran through the waterway, arms waving. "Fish-fish-fish-fish-fish-fish-fish!" she chanted excitedly.

"Hart?" The oatmeal-haired boy poked his head out from around the corner. "What're you doing, Hart?"

Eclipse, who was next to the boy, nodded. "Yeah, you're kind of scaring me."

Hart squealed. "Salmon!"

"Huh?" Eclipse and the other boy raised their eyebrows at the new head warrior.

"What about salmon?" the boy asked.

Hart grabbed the boy's shoulders and shook mercilessly. "The king's having salmon, Otomiru!"

The boy growled. "I told you not to call me that."

"Why? It's your name!"

"Yeah, but I don't want a name like Otomiru! It means 'oatmeal'! Would you want to be named Oatmeal, Hart?"

"Stop complaining! My name's just 'heart' with the E taken out!"

Eclipse groaned. "Hart, let go of Miru. Miru, Hart's right, stop complaining. Now, what did you say about salmon?"

Hart grinned. "The king's having salmon for dinner!"

Eclipse and Miru stared blankly. "So…?" Miru mumbled.

"You can't get salmon in Hollow Bastion! You'd have to go to another world to get them!" Hart explained. "And you'd need a Gummi ship for that! It's too big of a deal to go through for an ordinary dinner. So we have to see what's up!"

Eclipse laughed. "You're serious? We could get in trouble," he added, gaining a more somber look.

"You can't get in trouble, you're the chief!" Hart nodded to finalize the issue.

Miru looked nervous. "Not officially…not until he's eighteen. Until then, Gen-ojisan has more authority than him."

Hart sighed, remembering the old man from the ceremony. "Ka Gen? He can't stop us."

"But, Hart-" Eclipse started.

"No buts. We're going to spy on King Ansem!"

… … …

"Shhhhh! Don't let him see you!" Hart hushed the younger boys as the three of them came up in the waterway elevator. "He's right there…"

A blonde man wearing a lab coat and a red scarf stood outside the castle, scanning the sky. "King Ansem's so cool!" Eclipse whispered. He looked around. "I thought there would be more people here…but there's just those three guys."

The Nekoshus turned their attention to the newcomers. There were two girls and a boy, all around twelve or thirteen years old. "Too much pink," Hart mumbled in disgust, glancing at one girl. She was wearing a pink dress, and a pink bow topped her shiny, brown hair. With her were a muscular boy with a dark blue jacket and another girl wearing a green tank top and beige short-shorts.

The pink-clad girl shyly stepped forward. "Um…King Ansem…sir…?" The other two followed her. "I'm…Aerith Gainsborough…and…"

"Let me do the talking," the other girl suggested cheerfully. She strode forward to meet Ansem. "King Ansem, my name is Yuffie Kisaragi, ninja-in-training! These are my friends Aerith Gainsborough and Squall Leonhart."

Squall nodded and crossed his arms. "Pleasure to meet you, sir." (A/N: Squall changed his name to Leon when the Heartless attacked Hollow Bastion. This takes place before then, so he's still Squall.)

Ansem smiled in a fatherly way. "The pleasure is all mine." He looked behind them. "Is that young boy going to be joining us?"

A blond, spiky-haired boy scrunched up his shoulders, then stalked over. He bowed awkwardly. "Cloud Strife, sir."

"Nice to meet you all. To what do I owe this visit?"

There was an odd silence among the four children. "Um…" Aerith pointed to Cloud. "HE dared us to talk to you."

Cloud froze for a moment. "I did NOT! I said it would be cool to meet King Ansem!"

"Oh, yeah?" Squall, held up a patched bag. "Then why'd you give us all 500 gil?"

Yuffie nodded and pushed her scarf aside to get her own bag out. "And let's face it, I need that gil to buy more shurikens." Aerith also took out a bag.

Ansem chuckled as he saw Cloud's pale face. "It is alright. Just a harmless little game, correct?" Cloud nodded mechanically. "No harm done, then! But I am a little busy right now…do you mind? I am having company."

"See?" Hart hissed proudly at Eclipse and Miru.

Squall, Yuffie, Aerith, and Cloud shook their heads.

"We understand, Your Highness," Aerith told him. "We'll be on our way." She curtsied and ran off with her fellow Final Fantasy characters.

A fire-colored shape whizzed through the sky. "He is here," Ansem murmured.

The shape became bigger as it headed towards the castle. "It's a Gummi ship! A real Gummi ship!" Miru practically glowed with happiness.

The ship hovered by the castle door, and a small ladder came out. "I hope I'm not late!" a high voice said.

"You are just in time, sir," Ansem assured it. "Welcome to Hollow Bastion. Please, make yourself comfortable."

A figure climbed down the ladder. "Golly, sure is a swell place you've got here!"

Ansem bowed his head modestly. "I appreciate the comment, King Mickey."

Mickey, wearing his Chain of Memories attire, strode over to Ansem and shook his hand. "Thanks again for letting me visit."

"Think nothing of it. Shall we go in now?"

The mouse looked around again. "I think I'll just take in the scenery for a while. You can go ahead, though." Ansem nodded and walked into the castle.

Eclipse stared blankly at Mickey. "The guest is a mouse?"

"Eclipse!" Hart reprimanded, whacking him in the head. "He's a king!"

"Yeah, but who would make a mouse a king?"

"ECLIPSE!" Hart and Miru hissed, forcing their chief's head down.

"Huh?" Mickey turned in their direction with a confused look. "I could've sworn…"

Miru wiped his sleeve across his forehead. "That was close."

"What was close?"

The Nekoshus whirled around to see Mickey standing in back of them. "King Ansem told me that there was some tribe in the waterways…you must be part of it!" he mused. Mickey held out his hand. "I'm King Mickey, ruler of Disney Castle."

Eclipse stood up shakily and climbed out of the elevator. "Um…I'm Chief Eclipse Kurosato of the Nekoshu tribe."

"So you're sort of a king too, huh? Well, nice to meet you, Chief Kurosato!" Eclipse shook his hand, but stayed silent. "Is there something wrong?"

"Honestly, I don't know why I call myself a chief."

Hart stuck her head up. "You ARE a chief," she told him irritably.

"Who are you?"

"Huh?" Hart glanced up at the king. "Head Warrior Hart Kurosato," she mumbled.

Miru snorted. "Look at Hart, gettin' all embarassed…"

Hart glared, then picked Miru up by his collar. "And this is Otomiru Kami."

"IT'S MIRU! AND PUT ME DOWN!"

Mickey laughed. "Nice to meet you, Hart and Miru." He then resumed talking to Eclipse. "Why can't you call yourself a chief?"

"Because I'm a scared, wimpy kid who could never protect his tribe."

"Hmm…hey, I've got an idea!" Mickey pulled a glowing ball out of his robes. "You can learn magic!"

Eclipse raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Mickey handed him the ball. "It's easy to learn magic. You just need an ability sphere, and a weapon to put it in!"

"I don't have a weapon," Eclipse admitted. "But…I never take off my headband," he added. "Maybe I could put it in there! Then I'll definitely get stronger!"

"That's the spirit!" Mickey encouraged him. "Just concentrate on putting it into your headband."

Eclipse closed his eyes. After a few moments, the ball flew up and disintegrated into sparkling particles, which floated into his purple headband. "What kind of magic is it?"

"Psychic energy," Mickey replied. "I was going to give it to King Ansem, but I can have my court magician make me another one. He has a short temper, but he's swell at spells."

"Thanks, Your Highness." Eclipse bowed, followed jerkily by Hart and Miru. "I won't forget this."

Mickey nodded. "No problem!"

"How can I make it up to you?"

"Just promise me that you'll try to see me again. I want to see how great of a chief you'll become."

Eclipse grinned. "No problem, Your Highness."

… … …

"You're getting really good, Eclipse!"

Eclipse was sitting in the waterway, lifting and dropping a hunk of concrete, which Miru was sitting on. It had been four years since he had gained his psychic abilities from Mickey. "Thanks," he responded proudly.

Miru wobbled a little as Eclipse dropped the block again. "Too bad Hart couldn't watch you. She's gotten really busy with her assignments."

"Yeah, it's her and Gen-ojisan running the waterways for the next five years."

"At least you have more responsibility than you had since you were coronated," Miru offered. "You're thirteen years old now. You're a teenager, so you have more say in things."

Eclipse shrugged and closed his eyes. "Yeah…but being the REAL chief will be great…I'll be able to do anything I want."

"ECLIPSE!" Miru's shriek put a stop to his daydream. "ECLIPSE, PAY ATTENTION!" Miru and the block were flying through the waterway, bumping roughly into walls. "CONTROL THE BLOCK!"

The psychic flinched, then brought his hands down forcefully. The block stopped, but it fell to the ground and broke into dozens of shards. "Um…ta-da?"

A dusty Miru sat in the middle of the broken concrete. "I think that's enough practice for now."

"GUYS!" Hart yelled, running towards them. Her hysterical face looked almost identical to the one she wore during her "Fish-fish-fish-fish-fish-fish-fish!" chant. "GUYS, YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS!"

Miru stood up and dusted himself off. "What, King Ansem's having salmon again?"

"No!" Hart looked worried. "This is bad!"

Eclipse walked over. "What is it?"

"I was eavesdropping on King Ansem again, and he was talking to his assistants! There a saw this purple glow, and his assistants started laughing like they were up to something!"

Eclipse and Miru stared. "Are you sure you didn't drink too much of that wine you stole?"

"I'm sure! Plus, when I went to tell Ka Gen-"

"Gen-ojisan," Miru corrected.

"'Ojisan' means 'uncle'. That old man's no uncle of mine, figuratively or not. Anyway, Ka Gen said I could stop my assignments early, 'cause he needed to do something!"

"Why?" Eclipse asked.

Hart shrugged. "I'm not sure. But-"

"We know, we know," Miru interrupted. "We have to find out what's going on."

… … …

"Are you the one they call Ka Gen?" Ansem demanded.

Ka Gen nodded. "Yes…and you're Xehanort, aren't you? Ansem's assistant."

The other man smirked. "Nonsense. I am Ansem. I know that I promised you and your tribe the waterways, but I need to store something down here." His red eyes glimmered.

Will us Nekoshus still be able to live here?"

"Of course," Ansem assured him. "My storage may clutter up your living space a bit, but the waterways will still be inhabitable. Do we have a deal, Ka Gen?"

"Well…" Ka Gen shook Ansem's hand. "…I suppose we do. If you don't mind me asking, what IS the storage?"

Ansem just smirked again. "Just a few of my experiments…"

"I never thought that eavesdropping would be useful, Hart," Eclipse murmured. He, Hart, and Miru darted back around the corner. "What do you think the experiments are?"

Hart perched atop a column, and looked around the passage. "I haven't got a clue. But we're going to find out! There are the boxes!" she whispered, pointing down another passageway. Ka Gen was walking in that direction, holding a small dagger. "Yeesh, old man! What are you doing?"

Suddenly, there was a cracking noise, and a scream. "Gen-ojisan!" Miru called. The trio ran toward the dead end. Ka Gen was lying on the ground; his face was pale, and his eyes were wide with shock. Three black creatures surrounded him, then disappeared. "What just happened?" Miru asked nervously.

Hart picked up Ka Gen's wrist, then held it for a few seconds. She dropped it abruptly. "No pulse…" she murmured. She looked up, then stumbled backwards. "Oh my gosh!" The old man's body glowed purple, and a crystalline heart floated out of him. "This is the light I saw!" Ka Gen disappeared, and a Shadow Heartless appeared in his place, wearing his fang necklace.

More Heartless appeared behind them, blocking their only way out. Hart screamed again. "Calm down!" Eclipse told her.

"I CAN'T!"

Grumbling, Eclipse closed his eyes. When they opened again, they were light purple. With a sweeping movement of his hands, the Heartless were pushed to one side. "We have to get help!"

Regaining her trademark bravery, Hart announced, "I'm the Head Warrior of this tribe. I can take them on! I'll cover your back while you run."

Eclipse looked sadly at his sister, then grabbed Miru's wrist and ran. "I'll come back for you!" he called over his shoulder. "No matter what happens, I'm going to help you!"

Hart turned around from her Heartless-killing duties. "Forget about me! Save the others!" Eclipse gulped and reluctantly nodded. A Soldier Heartless came up from behind Hart and dug its claws into her back. "Ugh…" she grunted, slumping over.

"HART!" Eclipse ran forward.

"Forget…about me…" Hart insisted. Other Soldier Heartless heaped on top of her.

"HART!"

A heart made out of crystal floated out of the pile. "Forget…me…" her voice echoed. Then, nothing.

"HAAAAAAAAAART!"

… … …

Eclipse sat on top of a slab on concrete, crying. Miru sat next to him, patting his back. "This is what Hart wanted, Eclipse…she wanted you to alert the others to get out, and to forget about her."

"I know, but…" Eclipse watched the older Nekoshus direct the younger ones out. He was ordered to help make sure everyone else got out, and Miru wanted to stay with him. "…I can't believe she's gone…"

A light appeared in front of the two boys. "Who said she's gone?"

"Huh?" Eclipse stared at the light. "You mean Hart's alive?"

"In a way," the light explained. It materialized into a dark-skinned man with silver hair.

Eclipse and Miru jumped off the concrete block. "What do you mean, 'in a way'?" Eclipse demanded.

The man looked down at a small cat in his arms. "She is no longer Hart of the Nekoshu tribe. She is Coeur, the genet."

Coeur leapt out of the man's arms and into Eclipse's. She nuzzled him. "Myew!"

Eclipse hugged her. "H-hart…" he finally made out in-between sobs.

"I am truly sorry, but we must go now. There is a much more pressing matter she needs to attend to."

Eclipse wiped his nose on his sleeve like a toddler. "Will I see her again?"

"Yes. In two years."

Miru patted Coeur's head. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm gonna miss you."

"Myew, myew, myew!" Coeur replied.

The man chuckled. "What did she say?" Miru demanded.

"She said, 'See you later, Oatmeal'."

Miru growled. "Whatever."

Eclipse bit his bottom lip. "Hart, I know you told me to forget about you, but I can't. I'm going to become the best psychic ever. When I am, I'll be able to change you back!" He sniffled again, and Coeur nuzzled him again. "Here you go…" He handed his sister back to the man.

"Eclipse?" Miru shook his friend's shoulder. "How are you going to train?"

"I'll travel all over the universe," he decided.

Miru sighed. "I was afraid of that. Who's going to be the chief?"

Eclipse thought for a moment. He took off his three-fang necklace, then placed it on Miru. "You will. Can you rule over the Nekoshus until I come back with Hart?"

"Me?" Miru threw up his hands and sighed again. "Sure, why not. I'll see you in two years, buddy." He shook Eclipse's hand. "It's been cool."

Eclipse looked like he was going to cry again. "Yeah. Seeya." He turned back to Coeur and the man. "I WILL turn you back into a Nekoshu."

Coeur meowed. The man translated, "She says, 'I know you will.'"

"Thanks." Eclipse held back his tears, focused, then teleported away.

END FLASHBACK

… … …

"Eclipse, are you okay?" Jake repeatedly poked Eclipse in the chest. "Ecliiiiipse…"

Eclipse sat up. "Huh?"

Bernie smiled. "You were sleeping for a really long time."

"Myew!" Coeur agreed.

"Hart…" Eclipse hugged his sister.

The rest of Juu Senshi just stared at him. "Okay…" Riku mumbled.

"So you're okay?" Emma was sitting on the edge of the bed, chin in her hands.

Eclipse nodded. "Yeah."

"Good. We have a busy schedule," Donald told him. "And it doesn't involve sleeping!"

Mickey's words echoed in Eclipse's head.  _I can have my court magician make me another one. He has a short temper, but he's swell at spells._

"Thanks, Donald." Eclipse hugged the duck.

"H-HEY! LET GO OF ME!" Donald squelched.

Dia was cracking up. "Think again, Donald, 'cause I think this kid needs some more sleep."

"LET GO!"


	13. The Enemy of My Enemy

The Juu Senshi were sitting on benches or on the floor in the Great Wolf Lodge's lobby. "Isn't this a great way to spend 4th of July?" Jake gushed.

"Huh?" Emma's head shot up, and she rubbed her eyes; she had been napping on the carpet. "Oh…it wasn't a nightmare…" she grunted.

The lodge's infamous animatronic show was playing. "We must be nice to nature!" a disturbing-looking squirrel with a pink hat announced cheerfully.

Some other members of Juu Senshi were still sleeping. Dia mumbled, "Stupid fur trader," then rolled off the bench unceremoniously.

Jake prodded Dia's head. "Sis? Sis?" He continued this for a few moments, then shrugged. "I guess she didn't get enough sleep!"

Robin, who was, surprisingly, the only sane member of Juu Senshi fully awake, growled, "No, she was prob'ly bored 'a this stupid show." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Now, let's go ta the arcade! Nobody but you wants ta see this!"

Kairi shook her head. "No! This is fun!"

A stereotypically-dressed Native American girl came out of the animatronic figure storage. She started singing a weird song about beavers. The plaster beavers below made even weirder noises. "Beaver friend, beaver friend, I love my beaver friend!"

"NYAAAAAAAAAA!" the beavers replied.

Bernie clapped. "The beavers are so cute!"

"No…they're annoying…" Riku replied, only half-awake. His chin was resting lazily on the handle of the Soul Eater. "Isn't there some fireworks display today?"

Emma yawned and rubbed her eyes again. "Not until 9:00 PM…"

Donald wobbled around groggily, then also yawned. "We have to leave as soon as we can. What time is it?"

Emma looked down at her watch. "It's 12:05 PM."

"Huh?" Sora sat up. "Then why am I so tired?" he wondered, just waking up. Emma, Robin, Riku, and Donald all pointed to the show. "Oh." Sora hunched up his shoulders.

"Yay!" the figures cried, then retreated back to storage.

Jake sighed. "Myeh…it's over."

"HOORAY!" Goofy cheered, who had also recently woken up.

In an excited voice unlike her usual one at all, Robin leapt off the bench, yelling, "Time ta go ta the arcade!"

Dia hoisted herself off the ground, glaring at the Japanese girl. "Time ta go ta the arcade," she mimicked angrily.

"Let's just go," Emma advised.

… … …

By the time the Juu Senshi got to the arcade, they were much less tired. In fact, Emma and Dia were standing on a DDR 7th Mix pad, dancing to a fast, difficult song, rapping the words to Hysteria 2001. "Stoppin' for no one, just like the shogun! My blade is my rhymes, usin' it, then I'm done!"

Emma grinned, hopping from button to button. However, Dia stood still. "Picture me, I'm on top of the world now! Picture me, I'm ahead of my game! Never stop, not for anyone, not now, gonna take you up all the same, all the same, all the same!" Sweating, Emma stepped off the machine. "Are you okay, Dia? You weren't dancing for the last several lines…Dia?"

Dia was petrified. "Shogun…" she echoed faintly.

"Aw, Dia…" Emma pulled Dia off the machine, then patted her back. "We'll get him back. I know it!"

"You guys are tough," a feminine voice agreed. "Ugh! I have faith in you guys! Ugh!" It grunted again.

Emma chuckled. "First time, huh, Lyze?"

The Magic Daimyo was frantically whacking purple moles with a large mallet. "Yes," she replied. "Ugh!"

Dia returned to normal as she heard Lyze's voice. "Why're you still here?" she demanded.

"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!" She rapidly tried to bash the moles. Lyze crossed her arms. "Stupid moles…EVIL GAZE!" She whipped out the Joyeuse. A purple light dropped into all of the moles. Suddenly, they uprooted themselves and started beating each other up.

Several kids ran up to Lyze, prompting her to put on a pair of gloves and a puffy beret to hide her pointed fingers and her ears. "How'd you do that?" an incredulous little girl asked.

"Uh…" Lyze made some 'mystical' hand gestures. "…I'm a magician!"

A boy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right! I bet you can't even pull a rabbit out of a hat!"

"Oh, yeah?" Lyze teleported a top hat into her hand, then quickly switched it with her beret. She pulled her head into her vest, so only the top hat could be seen. "And…presto!" Lyze announced in a muffled voice. She brought her head back up, taking off her hat.

The boy stared. "Wow!" He was focused on Lyze's brown rabbit ears. "That's awesome!"

"Thank you, thank you!" Lyze bowed deeply. "I'll be here all week!"

"Where'd you get that sword?" the girl wondered.

Lyze glared at the Joyeuse, which she finally realized that she was still holding. "Er…I won it," she lied. "For 5,000 tickets."

Another boy's eyes shot open. "Really?" Lyze nodded numbly, starting to hate all attention she was getting. "Wow! I'm going to win all the games I can!" He and the others ran off.

"Hey, amasahdymecd!" a male voice cried happily, accompanied by a flushing sound.

"Hey!" Emma waved to the highly conspicuous blonde man walking towards her.

Sadym strode out of the boys' bathroom. "Nice place, huh? The toilets flush automatically!" Emma just gave him an odd, slightly disgusted look. "So, what did I miss?"

"Oh, nothing really, some plastic rodents mauled each other and Lyze pulled herself out of a hat."

"Uh…huh…" The Al Bhed tip-toed away warily. "Ouch!" He bumped into a girl who was focused on a South Park Pinball machine. At least, she was until Sadym tripped on her feet.

The girl snapped, "Watch where yer goin'!" Suddenly, the reprimand became a darkly smug voice. "Well, well, well…if it isn't the machinist…"

Sadym groaned, then looked up from the floor. Robin was peering down at him. "Ev ed ech'd dra fyhhypa drik," he replied disdainfully.

The rest of Juu Senshi had wandered over by now. "Tuh'd dyga ed bancuhymmo, Sadym," Bernie insisted. She then chuckled a little. "Robin rydac ajanouha."

Robin glared at both of them. "Stop talkin' 'bout me in Al Bhed," she demanded. She closed her eyes, trying to remember fragments of Al Bhed from the times she played Final Fantasy X. "Um…oui ec…um…" That didn't work as well as she had planned, so she searched her mind for things that she remembered Sadym and Bernie saying. Finally, she thought of something. "Sadym, oui ec Dah Vekrdanc!" she yelled.

Bernie snorted. Sadym borrowed Robin's smug grin, responding, "I would be honored to become a Senshi no Meiyo, Secc Fuudo."

"WHAT?" Robin hissed.

Emma tried not to crack up. "Well, 'Secc Fuudo', you just told Sadym that he was a Dah Vekrdanc. In English, 'Dah Vekrdanc' means 'Ten Fighters'. And in Japanese, 'Ten Fighters' means-"

"Juu Senshi," Robin finished with a scowl. "Stupid…"

Sadym bowed. "Dryhg oui, Secc Fuudo." Looking up again, he smirked. "E uhmo fecr drana fana cusa fyo du nabyo ouin…" He glanced at the metal bracelet he had given her the day before. "...gehthacc."

Robin scoffed, mumbling, "Dah Vekrdanc…"

The new Senshi no Meiyo just laughed. "So I'm the new Ruhunyno Vekrdan? Senshi no Meiyo? Honorary Fighter?" he clarified.

"Hmph." Robin glared at him. "

"Can I be a Senshi no Meiyo too?" Lyze asked. "Please?"

Eclipse grunted. "In a million years,"

"Why would you want to be Senshi no Meiyo?" Sora wondered.

Lyze sighed. "I'll be quitting soon…Sadym too." Her face brightened. "But if Taylor gets a new Magic Daimyo, he won't destroy Ivalice when I leave!" She briefly glanced at Eclipse, just quick enough so he would see, but nobody else would.

"Guess again, Daimyo Rune. No one ever said our Shogun played fair…"

"Silke!" Jake stared at a floating image of the Sword Daimyo. "What do you want? And why aren't you here in person?"

Silke shut her eyes and turned away. "I…I have been placed under house arrest by Shogun Quinn…" she admitted. "You were all a bit much for me…my shameful defeat has left me imprisoned in the home base."

Goofy also stared. "Gawrsh, that Shogun feller's really gotten Silke down…"

"I agree, this punishment has sucked out my enthusiasm and my will to fight."

"What do you mean by, 'guess again'?" Lyze interrupted. "Is something going to happen to Ivalice?"

"Yes." Silke nodded. "You, of all people, should know that evil seldom keeps promises."

Lyze's eyes widened. "No…"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Silke murmured. "A common saying, and one you should get used to hearing, Juu Senshi." She placed a hand on her forehead. "At first, there was only light and darkness. Then…the twilight came. There are some individuals who walk the path of twilight…" She indicated Riku with a nod of her head. "…but most importantly, there is a whole group who walks the same road. In this group, they are more powerful together than alone."

Dia made a clucking noise. "I knew it. This is where Organization XIII comes in."

Kairi raised a reddish eyebrow. "Organization XIII?"

"Thirteen people who are part light, part dark," Dia explained. "Only seven have been identified in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories; Axel, Larxene, Vexen, Marluxia, Zexion, Lexaus, and the Enigmatic Man."

"Six left, then," Donald announced.

Silke coughed. "Ahem…I believe I was talking…"

"Sorry."

"As I was saying, with this new group in the war, alignments are switching left and right. Enemies fade as allies form." Silke closed her eyes again. "What I have said…that the enemy of my enemy is my friend…well, right now, my enemy is Shogun Quinn." The mention of their father's name sent Dia and Jake spiraling into depression again.

"Taylor's you're enemy now?" Emma scratched her head. "So…if the enemy of your enemy is your friend…"

Silke nodded. "Yes, you are my new allies. That is, if you are willing." Silence and doubtful faces followed. "I have told you before that I follow a bushido-like set of rules. I am far above stooping to tricks."

"I still don't believe you," Sora told her.

"Daimyo Rune…" Silke turned to the Viera elementalist. "…Lyze…" she corrected. "What can I do to prove myself?"

Lyze grinned. "Beg and plead," she ordered. "On your knees." Silke nodded glumly. "Tell me I'm better than you."

Silke took a deep breath, then her hologram fell to her knees, forehead pressed to the ground. "I-"

"Okay, what do you need?" Lyze asked cheerily.

Silke blinked. "I…I didn't beg. Or plead. Or compliment you."

Lyze grinned. "It's enough to see you bowing to me. So, what do you need?"

"Er…it is quite simple, really…" Silke's image stood up. "It requires you to teleport back to Chicago. You must come into the game with me, on Miss Baecker's account."

"We get to go into Kingdom Hearts?" Bernie asked excitedly. "That's…that's amazing!"

Emma smiled. "You don't have to call me that," she insisted.

"Emma's account, then."

Jake pushed forward. "Why not mine? Or Sis's?"

"The Shogun will, without a doubt, turn off our portal while we are inside," Silke explained. "Emma's house is safer."

Lyze groaned. "But to get you, we'll have to go inside Taylor's house! He'll see us! Plus, five people at a time is my teleportation limit!"

"He will not come after me, or you. The others, possibly, but not us."

Robin was fuming. "Whatta 'bout us? We're the Juu Senshi! We're precious cargo!"

"I have a suggestion…" Kairi meekly raised her hand. "Has anyone here heard the a riddle about the wolf, the goat, and the cabbages?"

Silke rolled her eyes. "Is this relevant to our dilemma?"

"Yes!" Kairi announced. "A farmer has to ship his cargo from one side of the river to the other, and he only has one boat, barely big enough to fit him and just one piece of cargo. His cargo is a wolf, a goat, and some cabbage."

Dia's eyes lit up. "I've heard this before!"

"There's a problem, though; if he takes the wolf and leaves the goat and the cabbages, the goat will eat the cabbages. If he takes the cabbages and leaves the wolf and the goat, the wolf will eat the goat," Kairi continued.

Sora thought for a moment. "Can't he take the goat and leave the wolf and the cabbages?"

"Exactly!" Kairi squealed. "So the first thing we do is five of the thirteen Senshi to Emma's house! How about…Sora, Donald, Goofy, Emma, and Dia? Next, in the farmer scenario, the farmer still has to take the wolf and the goat across. So, what does he do next?"

Robin shrugged and raised her hand. "Listen, valley girl, this makes no sense. If he takes the wolf, the wolf'll eat the goat. If he takes the cabbages, the goat'll eat 'em."

Sadym couldn't resist the opportunity to show up Robin. "He takes the wolf across." Robin opened her mouth to disagree, but Sadym continued on. "Instead of going to get the cabbages empty-handed, he takes the goat back with him, leaving the wolf alone."

"Now the goat is with the cabbages," Robin replied proudly. "Ya messed up."

Eclipse shook his head. "No, he didn't. The farmer is there to protect the cabbages. He puts the goat back where it was at the beginning, then takes the cabbages to the other side. Now, the wolf is with the cabbages again."

Kairi nodded. "In our problem, the wolf is the next five Senshi, Jake, Riku, me, Bernie, and Robin. However, we don't have to take the goat, the first five Senshi, back to the other side, the lodge. Now, we need to get the cabbages; Eclipse, Coeur, and Sadym."

"This is easy!" Jake squealed. "Lyze just teleports them to Emma's house!"

"Right!" Kairi nodded again. "We have an extra piece, though; Silke."

Lyze raised her hand. "I teleport to the base, then teleport Silke to Emma's house."

"This IS easy," Donald agreed. "Let's go!"

… … …

After some semi-confusing teleportation and trying not to wake Taylor up from a nap on his basement couch, everyone was at Emma's house. "He was sleeping? Daddy's kind of weird," Jake noted.

Emma flipped on the PS2, poking at some buttons. She clicked on Account 11. "Well, there's the save point." Emma gestured to the familiar green circle of flames on the floor.

"ME FIRST!" Bernie shrieked excitedly. She leapt in.

Robin growled and followed her. "Why'dja get ta go first, Loony?" she hissed.

Chuckling, everyone else hopped in. "Silke," Emma asked. "Where are we going? You never told us."

"You will see in time."

… … …

"I'm actually in the Gummi Ship!" Bernie ran around the Valefor, examining every wire and block. "Amazing!"

Silke looked around. "Who is the best pilot among you?"

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Emma, Dia, and Jake sighed happily, remembering their adventure two years before. "Max…Goofy's son," Emma told Silke. "He was our driver…but he's not here right now."

"And we have no time to fetch him," Silke reminded her briskly.

"Sora, then."

Sora sat down in the driver's seat, then pulled a lever. "Where to, Silke?"

"End of the World."

… … …

"Are we almost there?" Jake whined.

Silke nodded as she led the Juu Senshi and Lyze through the fields surrounding where World of Chaos used to be. "I can see it in the distance."

"See what?"

Emma stared blankly. "No way…we're not…are we?"

"You must be silent," Silke whispered. "There is no telling who may meet us out here."

"I don't know about you, but I have a pretty good idea," Dia whispered back.

The group was standing in front of a massive, crooked, gold castle with green turrets and a bronze door. Outside it stood a man in a black cloak with many zippers. His spiked, red hair waved around due to the wind. His green eyes followed every move the newcomers made. Eventually, he spoke. "Hey. I was expecting you."

"You were?" Sora shivered.

The man nodded. "Of course. But I have to say, you're pretty late." He grinned widely. "That doesn't matter, though. Nothing here matters anymore, thanks to all these plot changes. You should have seen the look on Marluxia's face!"

"You're…you're…" Emma stuttered.

"Hmm? Oh, you're the elementalist!" He looked over the other real-worlders. "And the possessor…the animist…the thug…and the seer!"

"Thug?" Robin glared. "Who do ya think you are, callin' me a thug, ya thug?"

The man laughed. "I don't think about who I am. Unlike most people here, I KNOW."

"You might know who you are…" Kairi spoke up. "…but we don't."

"Figures. Well, I'll have to tell you sooner or later." The man placed both hands on his hips, striking a proud pose. "I'm Axel of Organization XIII, and I'll be your tour guide through Castle Oblivion!"


	14. A Trip Down Memory Lane

"Axel!" Jake squealed.

The redheaded Organization member, still in a proud stance, peered down at Jake. "I see I'm more popular in the real world than I thought." Jake nodded eagerly in response.

Silke glared at him. "I am NOT paying you to talk to your fans! I am paying you to take us to the thirteenth floor!" She gestured to the highest turret of Castle Oblivion.

"Fine, fine." Axel rolled his eyes, then straightened his back. "Attention…um…what was your group called again?"

"Juu Senshi," Silke reminded him, clearly irritated.

"Yeeeeeaaaaah, that's it." He dipped his hand into his cloak. "Where did I put them…" After a few moments of rummaging, he extracted a pack of cards. "Ugh! I'm missing one…viera!" Axel looked up at Lyze. "Do you have a spare Hollow Bastion card from when you were talking to Naminé?"

Lyze turned red. "You know that I was stealing cards from here?"

"Just give it to me," he insisted. Pouting, Lyze handed a grey card with a picture of Hollow Bastion to Axel. "Now, was that so hard?" Grinning, he faced the large door. "Since you guys are with me, I don't think anything will happen to your memories. But if you feel you're forgetting things, talk to me."

"Can't you just teleport us to the 13th floor?" Bernie asked.

"I can only teleport myself."

Lyze grinned. "I can teleport us."

Axel shook his head. "No, you can't. That reminds me: your memories will stay intact, but you'll forget all of your attacks and spells," he warned them. "You need…" Fourteen small packages appeared in his hand. "…cards."

… … …

"Traverse Town!" Bernie shouted. She ran around the 1st District. "Awesome!"

Axel examined a map. "Our first cut-scene room is straight ahead."

"Ooh, can I do it?" Jake snatched a card out of Axel's hand.

"No," Axel replied. It was too late, though; Jake was barreling towards the door.

He squinted at the inscription. "Card must be three or higher." Jake looked at the card he had stolen; it was a Tranquil Darkness 4. "Yay!" He held out the card, then walked through the door.

On the other side, Emma, Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood in a circle. "What's goin' on?" Goofy asked nervously.

Emma took a deep breath. "Listen, guys. You're…we're…in a game. It's called Kingdom Hearts," she explained." I'm a big fan of the game, so I know everything that's going to happen. But I think my being here changed the plot."

Robin rolled her eyes. "We already knew that, Baecker."

"Knew what?" Emma asked, coming out of the door. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were behind her.

"But…but…" Robin stared at them, then at the scene before her. "…but…"

"It may take a while, but I have to do some tests," the other Emma announced. "I may be able to decide what happens in some cases." She looked sternly at the other Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "But you guys have to back me up. You saw me…I can only destroy Shadows."

Kairi giggled. "There was a time when Emma could only destroy Shadows?"

Emma sighed happily. "I know what's going on…this is when I first came into the game. Well, after the stuff at Deep Jungle."

"Wait…so this is what happened in the changed game?" Bernie chuckled. "At least I get to see what happened."

Sora shuddered. "I don't want to relive Monstro…that was scary."

"Agreed," Riku added.

"What happened?" Jake asked.

Goofy patted Jake's head. "You'll see."

Jake looked indignant. "Why is everyone touching my head today?"

… … …

"How'd we skip ta here?" Robin asked.

The Juu Senshi, Lyze, Silke, and Axel were standing in the desert town of Agrabah. "That was Traverse Town Keyhole," Emma explained. "Not the normal Traverse Town."

"Cut-scene time." Axel held out a Martial Wakening 7 card. "This should go pretty quickly.

… … …

"AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGH!" The Emma from the past fell through a hole in the ceiling. She got up slowly, rubbing her butt. "Ow…"

Eclipse covered his mouth, trying not to laugh. "This fun to watch," he decided.

The present Emma glared at him. "I'll let that slide 'cause you're cute," she mumbled under her breath.

"She's here," Past Donald announced, laughing.

Past Sora grinned. "Emma!" he called. "What's the plan?"

Jake looked up at the giant red bulk that was Genie Jafar. "Wow!"

"A plan that Baby Baecker made? I gotta see this," Robin laughed.

Past Emma was hopping up and down, waving the boss's lamp around. "HEY! JAFAR! I GOT YOUR LAMP!"

"NO! YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO ME!" Jafar roared. Present Emma was mouthing everything that was going on.

"Aw yeah, I can!" both Past and Present Emma cheered.

Dia rubbed her hands together. "A magic lamp…I would've wished for something awesome, like…a car! Or…trillions of dollars! Or…"

"I wish for a sandwich," Past Emma announced.

The Juu Senshi, the two of the Rei no Aku Daimyos, Axel, Past Sora, Past Donald, Past Goofy, and Past Aladdin stared blankly. Present Emma grinned nervously.

"MAKE WITH THE SANDWICH, GENIE-BOY!" Past Emma ordered. A sandwich appeared in her hand. "Thank you," she said sweetly.

Past Donald raised an eyebrow. "Uh…Emma?"

"I wish for a backpack to put the sandwich in," she continued.

Jafar hit himself in the head. "She is eminently stupid…" he growled.

"AND FOR MY THIRD WISH!" Past Emma interrupted, with Present Emma mimicking her. "I WISH YOU WERE A HARMLESS BUNNY FOR ALL ETERNITY!"

Jafar said something, but nobody could hear it; everyone in the present, even Emma, was laughing hysterically.

Past Sora was laughing too. "Way to go! So, what do we do now?"

"Remember I told you that you had to blitz?" Past Emma reminded him.

"I get it." Sora grinned evilly.

Past Emma took out the Silver Hammer, her weapon at the time. "FORE!" she called. Bunny Jafar whizzed towards Sora, who leapt into the air and kicked him into the lava, Blitzball style.

"Ouch. That's gotta hurt," Sora remarked with a wince.

"He's sizzling." Aladdin glanced over the edge of the platform.

Axel had his mouth stuffed in his cloak, probably to hide his laughter. "Let's go to the next floor."

… … …

Sora sighed. "I hate this part…" Riku scrunched up his shoulders pitifully. Emma nodded sadly.

"Well, well, well. Playing with rocks, huh, girl?"

Past Riku stood in Monstro's stomach. "My name's Emma," she mumbled from the floor.

"Oh, no…" Dia pursed her lips together. "…Emma told me this story before."

"Is it really that sad?" Eclipse asked. Dia shushed him.

Past Emma glared. "Leave me alone. You guys are probably the ones who got me into the game, so why do you want to take me out?"

"Wrong," Past Riku replied. "Wrong. We only let you talk to them. You came yourself. The idea was to pinpoint an obsessed, insecure player and let them talk to Sora. When they got to do that, Kingdom Hearts would stop being a game. The best part of the plan is that if Sora faints, he dies. Forever." Present Sora shuddered.

Past Emma shuddered. "Can he die even now?" she asked nervously.

Past Riku took great pride in his answer. "Yes." He smirked. "That benefits me, too, not just Maleficent; Sora and me, we're rivals. Not friends anymore. When Sora dies…well, I'll get Kairi."

Kairi twitched. "You WHAT?" she hissed at Present Riku, who put his hands defensively in the air.

"You're stupid," Past Emma replied shakily. "I won't let Sora, Donald, or Goofy die." She thought for a moment. "Well, maybe Donald." Donald glared at both Past and Present Emma. "No, I'll make sure they all live."

Bernie watched the scene intently. "I really don't like where this is going…"

"You won't," Present Riku confirmed stiffly.

Past Emma stood up slowly. "I can't believe it. You, Riku, Sora's best friend, want him to die." A familiar blue mist appeared, making Present Riku shiver. "Friends want the best for their friends."

"I'm not in the mood to hear another speech about the heart," Past Riku groaned.

"But it's true!" Past Emma yelled.

Past Riku clenched his fists. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" he snarled. "I'M GOING TO DESTROY YOU!"

Most of the viewers who didn't know what happened cringed or shut their eyes. A crashing sound made Jake whimper loudly. "I don't think so." Past Emma was gripping the Blizzard Stone. An icicle shot up, and the Soul Eater was frozen inside it. "You may be Sora's friend, but you're sure not acting like it." Her voice had turned vicious and cold. "I guess I'll have to kill you, then."

At this last line, a few members of Juu Senshi glanced at Present Emma. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Emma?" Lyze murmured, lightly shaking the other elementalist's shoulder. "You okay?" Emma sniffled and nodded. Beside her, Present Riku's eyes were also getting a little watery.

"Shut up!" Past Riku reached for the Silver Hammer, then snapped it on his knee. "Now what're you going to do?"

Past Emma began her transformation. "I'm going to do this," she announced. Her eyes and shirt became pastel blue. "YUKI NAIFU!" Present Emma was still crying, periodically wiping her eyes. Ten-foot-tall icicles materialized around her. Past Emma jumped and perched herself on top of the icicle closest to Riku. "Never seen anything like this, huh, Dark Boy?" she sneered.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Past Riku yelled, stumbled backwards.

Past Emma jumped down, pointing a small icicle at Past Riku. "Killing you," she announced casually.

Past Riku's eyes widened, and his fear disintegrated. He started laughing hysterically. "With…with THAT?"

Past Emma tapped the icicle against her arm disapprovingly. "You underestimate me." She glanced at one of the many 'platforms' in Monstro's stomach, and smashed the icicle on it. Beneath the crumbling ice was a real knife.

Past Riku tripped over his own feet trying to get away. "BUT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THE BRAINY WEAKLING!"

"Hmm." Past Emma narrowed her eyes. "Too bad, so sad, don't care." She bent down and caught Past Riku's foot, pinning him to the ground, her knife flying swiftly to his throat.

"EMMA!" Past Sora and the others appeared behind her. "STOP IT!" He grabbed Past Emma's shoulders, pulling her off the frightened Past Riku. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Past Emma looked a little annoyed at Past Sora's interference. "His intent was to kill me," she stated. "I simply turned the tables."

Shaking, Past Sora lifted the Three Wishes Keyblade. "Emma…I'm really sorry about this…" He brought it down on her head.

"Ugh…" Past Emma fell on the ground. Her shirt and eyes returned to normal.

Past Riku jerked back as his attacker fell near him. "Get that…thing away from me!" He scrambled to his feet, and sprinted away. "Maleficent'll go berserk…" he called over his shoulder. "…but I'm going before that thing tries to kill me again!"

Axel faced the Juu Senshi and everyone else on his tour. "I think…we've seen enough," he decided. "Come on." He walked towards the stairs to the 4th floor.

Emma was still crying softly. Riku, who had gotten over his shock, mentally grinned.  _This is my chance to make Emma like me again! Sure, it's a dirty trick, but…_

"It's okay, Emma. You probably didn't mean it…it was that stone." Riku stared. Eclipse had his hand on Emma's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up about it. Riku's not upset, is he?"

Riku, for Emma's sake, stopped glaring at the Nekoshu boy and smiled genuinely at Emma. Emma nodded. "I guess you're right…still…what I did was horrible. I'm sorry, Riku."

"Don't be," he assured her. "You never actually hurt me. Besides, I tried to hurt you too. We're even!" Riku nodded to confirm his statement.

Emma slowly smiled back. "Okay."

"Move it along!" Axel called from the doorway. "We have a castle to go through!"

Riku grunted. "He thinks he's all that, with his fire power and his…" A pained look crossed his face. Eclipse and Emma were walking in front of him to rejoin the others, and Eclipse had his arm wrapped around Emma's shoulders. "…nevermind." Eclipse glanced back at Riku, giving him a grim smile.

Steaming, Riku glared at him again.  _I know you can read my thoughts, you jerk. Yeah, it's me, the guy who's always glaring at the back of your head. And you know perfectly why, don't you? Well, you know what? You want Emma? You can HAVE her._

Eclipse looked at Riku one last time, still smirking.  _Wouldn't have it any other way._


	15. Fa’mm Pa Dukadran eh Cbened

"Where are we?" Kairi wondered. People of all sorts were walking around, yelling and laughing.

Jake squeaked nervously as one woman almost shoved him off the deck he and the others were standing on. "I don't know, but this place is way busier than the other floors! There's a ton of people!"

Sadym looked around. "We're…we're in Luca!"

"Gawrsh, he's right!" Goofy cheered.

"And if this is the fixed game…" Donald announced, "…we'll get to see ourselves fight the Oblitzerator and save Yuna!"

"Or watch me play blitzball!" Sora added proudly.

Emma shook her head. "No, we won't." The three game characters turned to look at her in confusion. "We were never in Luca at nighttime."

Bernie sighed happily, getting a dreamy look. "The night sky in Spira is so pretty…and the smell of the sea is so refreshing!"

"Shaddup, Loony!" Robin reprimanded her. "Someone's comin'!"

A blonde man ran past them, heading for a door ahead. He knocked it open with one of his shoulders. "E'mm pa myda," he mumbled to himself.

"Late for what?" Bernie wondered.

"Huh?" several Juu Senshi members asked.

Bernie shrugged. "He said he was late."

"Nothing," Sadym replied quickly.

Robin chuckled. "I get it…this is your mem'ry, innit, tough guy?"

"NO!"

Axel groaned. "Let's just follow him." He took out a Calm Bounty 5 and a Teeming Darkness 0.

… … …

"I was wondering when you'd show up."

A large man, probably around seven feet tall, towered over the blonde man. "I'm on time, aren't I?"

"You're two minutes late," he replied. "Normally, I wouldn't care about two measly minutes, but this is important."

The blonde man put a grey suitcase on the ground. "Here it is; enough machina parts to make a few of those creatures the Maester described."

"And enough to get me off the streets!" the beefy man agreed. "You did better than I thought, Sadym!"

Robin cast a smug look towards the quivering Al Bhed beside her. "Thanks," Past Sadym replied. "Now can I go? If I don't get some rest, I won't make it to the stadium in time tomorrow, and I have to cheer my brother on at the blitzball game. He's the captain of the Al Bhed Psyches, you know."

Past Sadym turned to leave, but the other man grabbed his shoulder. "That's it?" he asked flatly.

"I told you, Karson, I don't have enough gil to buy you any more machina parts," Past Sadym lamented. "Buy your own when you sell the finished ones to Maester Seymour."

Karson shook his head. "Don't worry. I don't need any more parts. What I need is an answer."

"Huh?"

"You aren't going to stop me?" Karson frowned. "Whenever I told you that I wanted to join the Crusaders, you just sighed and turned away. Now…" He gestured to the suitcase at his feet. "…you're helping me get in without asking a single question!"

Past Sadym shrugged. "I owe you. The only reason you're on the streets right now is because you helped ME. You paid for Eigarr's blitzball lessons," he reminded the red-head, referring to his brother.

Karson grinned broadly. "Yeah, you're right. But thanks anyway, Sadym."

"Oh, it's no-" Past Sadym started, but Karson got him into a headlock and gave him a noogie. The machinist laughed.

"Wait a minute…" Emma murmured. "I think I've seen him somewhere…I know that face."

Goofy shrugged. "He looks a little like that Wakka feller. Maybe they're related!"

"No, Wakka's only brother is Chappu, and he's in the Farplane,"

Sadym nearly sweatdropped. "Um…you don't know him."

"Fess up, who's he?" Robin demanded.

"Shhhhh!" Eclipse hissed. "I'm watching this!"

Past Sadym stood up straight, wrenching himself free of Karson's happy grip. "It's getting late," he announced. "I have to get home. You'd better get home too…" He glanced sadly towards the stadium.

"Don't worry about me," Karson advised. "Those benches make good beds if you get a few blankets." Past Sadym still looked worried. "Besides…" Karson grinned again. "…once I show these plates to the Maester, he'll make me a Crusader, and I'll be able to protect Spira. I'll be rich, and I'll be able to get a nice summer home in Kilika!"

"Okay." Past Sadym nodded, then turned to leave. "Karson…" He tilted his head up to look at the stars. "…I still don't approve of you being a Crusader."

Karson shrugged. "I know. And I won't ask you to change your opinion."

"But…" Past Sadym continued. "…it's your dream, and I think you should fulfill it. Just promise me that we'll see each other again." He turned around again, and held out his hand. "Ihdem fa saad ykyeh…fa'mm pa dukadran eh cbened."

"Um…what?"

Past Sadym smiled. "It's just some saying I heard. Until we meet again…we'll be together in spirit."

"Spirit, huh?" Karson shook Past Sadym's hand. "I like that saying. Ihdem fa saad ykyeh…" he repeated slowly, tried to pronounce the unfamiliar language correctly. "…fa'mm pa dukadran eh cbened."

His friend grinned back. "Eh cbened," he agreed.

… … …

"Why are we still in Spira?" Jake asked, prodding Axel's back.

Axel sighed. "This segment of Sadym's memory isn't finished yet."

"Sorry about him," Dia apologized. "He likes poking people."

"I see. Ah, here's the door."

Present Sadym leaned against the threshold. "I think I'll just stay out here."

Robin smirked. "Bad mem'ries, huh, Sadym?"

"I thought that last cut-scene was cute," Bernie cooed. "What bad memories could happen in the next room?" Sadym didn't answer. Bernie shrugged at the man's silence and sat down next to him. "I'll stay with you," Bernie decided. "If it's too sad, I'll be better off out here."

Sadym looked up. "Jake should stay here too. He shouldn't see this."

"Um…okay…" Jake nervously walked towards Sadym, then plopped onto the docks.

Bernie tapped Coeur between her furry black ears. "You can go. I don't want to ruin the cut-scene for you."

Coeur crawled off Bernie's shoulder and onto Eclipse's. "Myew."

"You're welcome," Bernie replied happily.

Lyze bent down to whisper to Sadym. "This isn't…" Sadym nodded numbly. "…oh." She patted Sadym's back. "In that case, you can stay here as long as you want. I don't mean to sound morbid, but I kinda want to see it. Maybe it'll make me appreciate the guy more."

"As much as I dislike him, I agree." Silke walked briskly towards the door. "I do not doubt that this will help. If I am to leave the darkness, I must feel empathy for him."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"You'll see," Sadym replied.

… … …

"It's a good thing I woke up early!" Past Sadym ran down the streets of Luca. "Now I can watch Karson get initiated into the Crusaders before the big game!"

Lyze crossed her arms. "You wish…" She glanced out the door at Present Sadym, Bernie, and Jake, who were still sitting there. "Poor guy…"

"Ah! This is where he's meeting Maester Seymour!" Past Sadym flung open the door of a nearby building and dashed up the stairs, followed by the invisible Juu Senshi.

Emma glanced at Lyze and Silke. "What do you know that we don't?"

"You'll see," Lyze replied, repeating Present Sadym's earlier words.

Past Sadym slowly opened the door in front of him. "Hey, Karson! I'm…huh?"

Seymour and Karson stood alone in the room. Seymour was frowning. Karson was sitting on the straw floor, looking fearfully at the Maester. Between them was the suitcase. "This is not enough, Mr. Alka."

Karson's voice was as shaky as his body. "It's all I could get, Maester! My client…he doesn't have much money to provide me with machina parts."

 _That's me,_  Past Sadym thought.  _I hope I'm not getting him into trouble…_

"Mr. Alka, if there is one thing I have learned in my time as a Maester, it is that if you bend people, you will get what you want." Seymour smirked coolly. "Bend your little machinist friend, and I trust he will give you the plates I need."

Past Sadym gulped.  _Bend? He…he wouldn't!_

Karson looked as helpless as a kitten, albeit a muscular one. "Sadym is my friend," he told Seymour. "If he had more materials, he wouldn't hold out on me…"

"Oh, really?" Seymour chuckled darkly. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah! We go way back!" Seymour snorted. "Besides, you'll get more soon. Sadym said that I'll get paid for this shipment, and with that gil, I can pay him for more machina plates." Karson nodded repeatedly. "Then you can give them to Maleficent."

Dia tapped Emma's shoulder. "If that suitcase is going to Maleficent, those machina plates must be for the Decaclaw Heartless!"

Riku put a hand on his head. "Karson Alka…I remember Maleficent talking about him."

"Soon? I need them now, Mr. Alka. For the Decaclaw army to be ready in time, I need to start building them now." Seymour glared. "And I mean NOW."

Both Past Sadym and Karson gulped. "N-n-now?" Karson stuttered.

 _I knew I should've found him more plates!_  Sadym bit his lower lip.  _What's going to happen to him?_

Seymour held out his hand, palm-down. "I'm sorry, Mr. Alka…truly, I am…but it is YOUR fault that there will be no Decaclaw army. And I wanted SO badly to see them ravaging Spira…"

"Uh…what are you doing?" Karson asked nervously.

Lyze tapped everyone on the shoulder, except for Silke, who knew what came ahead. "I forgot to tell you guys something. Sorry!" she chirped, her voice masking her feelings. "This cut-scene is a little bloody…"

"A little? A LITTLE?" Silke exploded. She immediately covered her mouth, even though Past Sadym, Karson, and Seymour couldn't see or hear them. "A little?" she repeated in a reprimanding whisper.

The viera laughed nervously. "A lot," she corrected. Everyone else twitched involuntarily.

"You disappointed me, Mr. Alka," Seymour explained. "Do you know what I do to people who disappoint me?"

Karson's eyes became as wide as they could. He froze, his expression showing utter terror. "No…" he rasped. "Please, Maester…don't…I'll do better…"

"Too late," Seymour replied.

Past Sadym, still standing in the doorway, suddenly realized what was about to happen.  _Karson!_ He tried to move, but his legs felt glued to the ground.  _Karson!_  he repeated mentally.  _I won't let this happen, Karson! I'll find some way to save you!_

Seymour chanted some inaudible words, and his hand started glowing red. Karson looked around frantically, finally laying eyes on Past Sadym. "Sadym!" he yelled.

He remained in place. His face turned white. "Karson…"

"Sadym, get out of here! Save yourself!" The Maester was still ignoring both men, his hand still glowing red. He eventually looked up at Karson, smirking. "GET OUT!" Karson roared at the Al Bhed.

"NO!" Past Sadym yelled back, trying to lift his feet.

Seymour raised his hand, extending it towards Karson. In a cruel voice, he hissed, "Obliterate…"

"KARSON!" Past Sadym finally picked up his feet, running halfway across the room to his friend.

But it was too late.

A shimmering, red light hit Karson, and the room filled up with the same color. There was a loud crack, followed by a sickening splattering sound.

"What just happened?" Goofy asked, covering his eyes.

The scene that lay before them was nothing but gruesome. The floor was covered in a gooey red liquid. Blood. Past Sadym's machinist uniform also had a thin layer of it, as did Seymour's robes. But the most hideous sight was Karson's sprawled body.

Karson's body parts were spread all over the room. His left arm was by Seymour. His torso was near the doorway. His right foot was by Donald. His head was near Past Sadym. "Karson?" he whimpered, horrified. He carefully picked up his friend's head. The left half of his face was hideously scarred. The right side, surprisingly, was unharmed, except for a few minor cuts. "You…" Past Sadym glared at Seymour. "…you did this to him!"

"So?" Maester Seymour chuckled and left the room, taking care not to step on any of Karson's limbs.

Past Sadym knelt on the floor and stared at Karson's head. "It may seem like it's too late…" he murmured. "…but I think I can still save you. I'll take you to another world. I'll fix you. I'll give you a new body. You can get the job you always wanted…maybe not as a Crusader, but as some other fighter." Past Sadym wiped his nose on his arm. "And even if we have to be separated in that other world…" He forced himself to smile. "…fa'mm pa dukadran eh cbened. We'll be together in spirit."

… … …

The Juu Senshi and Axel emerged from the door. "So, do you feel any sorrier for him now?" Present Sadym asked, glancing sorrowfully up at the others.

"I heard everything that happened," Jake announced shyly. "I didn't see anything, though. But I feel sorry for Karson."

Silke hung her head. "I hate to admit it…but I, too, feel sorry for Daim…er…" She glanced at the Juu Senshi, who looked confused. "…Karson," she finished awkwardly.

"Don't worry." Emma gave her a half-smile. "I think I know."

"We all do, Sakura," Robin added.

Bernie stifled a laugh. "Robin?"

"What's up wit'chu, Loony?"

"Why are your eyes so red?"

Robin self-consciously rubbed her eyes. "I dun know, why're ya askin'?"

"They're wet, too!" Eclipse laughed.

"I GOT ALLERGIES!" Robin insisted. "I'M ALLERGIC TO CAT-BOY AN' LIL' MISS MYEW OVER THERE!" she lied.

Coeur stretched herself. "Myew!"

Everyone laughed. "IT'S ALLERGIES!" Robin screamed again.

Axel had his mouth in his cloak again, but it was impossible to miss his chuckles. "There's still one last part to the cut-scene. I think everyone should see this."

… … …

Past Sadym stood by a glowing white orb in the Mi'hen Highroads. "I found someone to take you someplace safe," he announced. "You'll get to fight all you want…but there's a price."

An enormous figure stood next to him; Karson. He was made almost completely out of machina, but he still had his head. Another plate covered the left side of his face, though, the disfigured side. "What sorta price?" he asked roughly.

"Karson," Past Sadym complained. "If you're going to fit in there, you have to talk like I told you to."

"What is this, the Witness Protection Program?"

"Karson…"

Karson crossed his massive, metal arms and sulked. "Aw, fine." He straightened himself and cleared his throat. "Pardon my interruption, but what manner of prices do you speak of?"

"That's better," Past Sadym replied with a grin. "Well, the guys who are taking you in aren't the nicest bunch."

"Hmph. Neither was Maester Seymour."

Past Sadym winced. "Yeah…Seymour…" he echoed hoarsely. He shook it off. "Well, they're not all bad. The one who's coming to pick you up seems sweet. She's still in her early twenties, but she's a pretty accomplished White Mage, as well as a Fencer."

"White Mage? Fencer?" Karson raised his left eyebrow, the only one that remained. "Y'mean…" He stopped as he noticed Past Sadym tapping his foot impatiently. "I mean…I trust you mean an Ivalician viera." Past Sadym nodded. "Am I to be hidden in Ivalice?"

"No. The girl's from Ivalice, but she's headed toward where you're going." The white orb next to them glowed. "She's coming!"

A shower of sparks flew out, clumping together in a human-like shape. After the spark figure was complete, it flashed white and became a girl wearing crystal-colored robes. "Hiya!" She smiled innocently at the two men. "You're Karson, right?"

"Until Sadym changes my name, too…" Karson said in a mocking tone.

Past Sadym laughed. "Good idea!" he announced to Karson's annoyed face. "What language do they speak there?" Past Sadym asked the girl.

She made a humming noise. "Weeeeeeell, mostly English, but some of them have Japanese names."

"Japanese, good. What should we rename him?"

The girl put her hands on her hips. "Hey! Aren't you supposed to ask me what MY name is?"

Jake giggled as he sat by the door. "I know what it is," he whispered to the others.

Past Sadym laughed nervously. "Sorry, miss. What is it?"

"I'm…" She grabbed a staff from the silk case on her back, waved it around, then held it out proudly as more white sparks came out. "…Lyze Rune, magician extraordinaire!" she exclaimed.

Past Sadym and Karson twitched. "Er…a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rune," Karson mumbled.

Past Lyze nodded. "Likewise!" she squealed. "Well, back to figuring out your new name." She lifted Karson's arm with her lavender Judge Staff. "Hmm…how about we call him Steel?" she offered.

"Steel sounds good," Past Sadym agreed. "But what is it in Japanese?"

"It's…uh…" Past Lyze made a humming sound again. Then, she looked up. "I got it! Karson, your new name is…" She smiled again. "…Kinzoku."

… … …

"So that was young Daimyo Kinzoku, huh?" Emma asked.

The Juu Senshi continued on their tour, heading towards the 6th floor. "Yep!" Present Lyze replied. Present Sadym and Silke nodded. "He, Silke, and I were sent to Hollow Bastion to wait."

"Then why didn't we see you?" Jake tapped on Lyze's back.

Silke snorted. "We were not there when you were."

"But…"

"It took me two weeks to fix Karson," Sadym explained. "That's the time it took for you guys to finish the game. We waited in Hollow Bastion for another two weeks, while two years passed in the real world."

"Ohhhhh…" the original eight Juu Senshi chorused.

Bernie thought for a moment. "Oh, my gosh!" She put her hands over her mouth. "If Daimyo Kinzoku is Karson…we killed him! At Starved Rock!"

Dia nodded numbly. "I made him dance off a cliff," she admitted sadly.

Sadym and Lyze looked at each other, then cracked up. Even Silke gave a slight smile. "He's almost repaired," Sadym laughed. "I was working on him the second that Guardian took him back to our base."

"How did he become a bad guy?" Jake asked.

Silke stopped smiling. "Guardian has his ways," she mumbled.

"Why are you so upset? Did you become a bad guy too? I bet you were one of the good guys once!"

The Sword Daimyo glared at the little boy. "I was never part of the light." She remained silent, then took a deep breath. "I was a Twilight." After she spoke, she stalked off towards the door to Atlantica.


	16. Black Cloaks and Moo Cows

"What?" Emma jogged to catch up with the ex-Sword Daimyo. "Did you just say you were a Twilight?"

Silke stopped for a moment, and glanced backwards. "That I did, elementalist…Emma."

By this time, the rest of Juu Senshi and Axel were standing near the two girls. "Then why did you join Rei no Aku?" Jake asked.

"I was forced to."

"We know thaaaaat!" he complained. "But whyyyyy?"

"Why what?" Jake just stared dully at her, all hope of getting an answer draining out of him. "Well, then. I suppose we should be going." Silke resumed her brisk walk towards the next floor.

Jake's eyelids drooped, as did the finger he had pointed accusingly at the blonde. "You did your best," Bernie assured him. Jake just gave a defeated 'myeh' and stomped off.

… … …

"Here we are!" Axel announced with mock grandeur. "Twilight Town!"

Sora looked around, his face displaying his confusion. "Why does this place seem so…familiar?" he murmured.

Robin plopped into a straw chair belonging to an abandoned café. "Ya wanna figure it out, or do ya want us real-worlders ta spell it out fer ya?"

Coeur sniffed the air. "Myew," she replied.

Eclipse was quick to translate his sister's words. "She wants you guys to tell her, too."

"Sure thing." Dia flipped up her sunglasses. "It's not familiar to YOU," she explained. "It's the dark side of your heart that remembers, your Nobody. Roxas."

"Known to all rabid fans and fanfic authors as the BHK," Emma added.

The Keyblade Master nodded slowly. "Roxas…I remember you guys talking about him."

"Myew?" Coeur asked. "Myew, myew, myew?"

Bernie nodded. "That's right. You don't remember either; Miaow's doing the remembering for you."

Grumbling something, Eclipse scowled as Bernie reminded him of Miaow, the fancy-talking, over-protective shell who tried to replace his sister. "Miaow's stupid," he announced sourly.

"I know a lot of stupid people," Donald agreed, gesturing at Sora, who was absent-mindedly picking his nose. The others issued various statements of agreement, edging away from the Keyblade Master.

A girly laugh erupted, echoing across the floor. "Oh, I agree! It seems we have something in common after all."

Goofy looked around frantically. "Gawrsh, what was that?"

"If you can find me, I'll tell you what you need to know!" The voice giggled again.

"Why, ya-" Robin started, but she was soon silencing by Bernie's hand. "What're ya doin' now, Loony?"

Bernie reached into one of her pockets, extracting a dead dandelion. "I'm sorry, Robin, but I need to concentrate." She plucked off a wad of seeds, then let them float away. The seeds started changing colors.

Donald tapped his foot on the ground, impatient as usual. "I don't see how some wilted flower is going to help us."

Emma flicked Donald's head. "Bernie can tell the future with dandelion seeds, remember? Still, I don't get how they'll find the crazy lady."

"WHAT?" the voice screeched. "I am NOT a lady!"

Eclipse closed his eyes. "I can read the woman's…uh man's…mind. He's going to attack! You don't have much longer to locate him," he informed Bernie.

"I don't need much longer."

A gust of cold wind blew past them. "I'll show you!" the man cackled.

"Behind you!" Bernie yelled to Emma.

Emma whirled around. "Got it!" Just before he could strike her, Emma jabbed the man with the Hikari Sword. She surveyed him, then muttered, "Vexen."

Axel snorted. "I should've known the rest of Organization XIII was tracking us." He placed one of his chakrams under Vexen's neck. "Take a hike."

The androgynous brunette scowled at his coworker. However, Axel was now busy whispering to Emma. Vexen took this opportunity to jerk away, then brought out three cards. "Ice Needles!"

"Wind's Mask!" Everyone flew into the air as Emma tossed three cards of her own, evading the dozens of icicles that appeared. Emma glared at Vexen with her creepy, white eyes. "Don't mess with us," she advised. "There's sixteen of us, and only one of you."

Vexen's scowl became a sneer. "I wouldn't rely on that. Even if you get by me, you'll have to defeat the rest of the Organization!"

Emma and the others landed back on the ground. "Then let's hurry this up!"

"Ice Needles!" Vexen called again.

"One-trick pony, huh, Vexen?" Axel jeered, then whipped his head around. "Senshi no Yon!"

Three red cards whizzed past Vexen's head. One of them struck him in the forehead. "Hey!"

A five-foot-fire appeared in front of the ice elementalist. Emma emerged from it, a maniacal look on her face. "PYROMANIAC!" Another wall of fire surrounded Vexen. "We need more firepower…literally!" she called to Axel, running her tongue over her fangs.

"Got it! HYAH!" Axel tossed one of his chakrams at the wall. It hovered above, shimmering. The wall grew higher and hotter.

Vexen materialized an ice shield, and stuck the shield into the fire. A gap appeared under the dripping shield, big enough for Vexen to crawl through.

"He's getting away!" Jake whined.

Riku drew the Soul Eater. "Not for long…Dark Firaga!" A bluish-black flame flew at the wall. The wall became the same color, and the gap refilled itself.

"We still need more!" Eclipse's eyes glowed purple. "He's going to try again!"

Other members of Juu Senshi took out their decks. "FIRAGA!" Sora, Donald, Goofy, Dia, Jake, and Bernie called.

"FIRE WHIP!" Jets of fire shot out of one of Lyze's rapiers, the Scarlette. They went through the wall and caught Vexen's hands.

Robin loaded the Shinku Cannon. "TWIN SUNS!" Two large, fiery energy bullets also penetrated the wall.

"CRYSTAL FLAME!" Kairi loaded her Gyene Armlets. Several crackling red beams followed the bullets.

Sadym grabbed a thin machina rifle from his back pocket. "VENA AHANKO!" More fire came out, adding to the wall.

A shriek pierced through the attack calls, shutting everyone up. "Stand down, men!" Axel ordered. Emma, Dia, Kairi, Robin, Bernie, Lyze, Silke, and Coeur glared at him. "I mean…stand down…people…"

"Axel! Dryd'c hud paehk kahdmasyh-mega!" Sadym pretended to reprimand the red-headed Organization member. He playfully put his arms Lyze and Bernie. "Oui cruimt ghuf paddan dryh du ujanmuug cilr kunkauic ouihk myteac!"

Bernie flushed, mumbling, "Cdub icehk sa du yhhuo Axel."

Lyze grinned at her. "Famm, E tuh'd ghuf ypuid oui, pid E luimt kad icat du drec bnaddo vycd!"

Silke lightly rapped Sadym's knuckles with her paper fan. "Now, now. No flirting during battles."

"What's that wimp saying?" Robin demanded.

"WOULD EVERYONE SHUT UP?" Axel furrowed his eyebrows, then summoned his chakram back. "Get up, Vexen."

Vexen stood up shakily, his singed robes brushing the ground. "What do you want now?"

Axel raised his hands defensively, advancing on the smoldering man. "Just to talk. You know how you're always saying I don't respect my elders?"

"I do."

"And I always disagree?"

"You do."

"Well, then…" Everything seemed to freeze as Axel phased through Vexen's body with both chakrams outstretched. He tilted his head back to look at Vexen's shocked and pained face. "…NOW you can say I don't respect my elders," he announced. Vexen promptly disappeared.

"Interesting group you have here, Axel." Another voice came out of nowhere. "Still, they're no match for-"

Dia kicked the air in front of her. "You guys talk too much."

The air became a muscled man with short, brown hair, wearing an XIII Organization cloak. He glanced at his leg. "That's the best you can do? You-" He inhaled sharply.

"Dia's right," Emma decided. She was still in Pyromaniac form, and her claws were in the man's back. "If you don't watch those long, expository essays, you'll end up with more stuff in your back."

The man glared. "No, I won't! I'm the mighty Lexaeus, and I'll never give in to a bunch of-" He inhaled again. Axel was laughing hysterically. Every member of Juu Senshi had appeared in back of Lexaeus, pressing their weapon into him. Even Coeur bit him.

"This is fun," Jake cooed, keeping up with the tradition of repeatedly prodding people, this time with the Ikiteiru Shield.

Lexaeus whirled around. "Why, you-" He suddenly realized what a stupid mistake he had made. Sixteen people had various weapons pointed at his face. "Uh-oh…"

"FIRAGA!"

"FIRE WHIP!"

"TWIN SUNS!"

"CRYSTAL FLAME!"

"VENA AHANKO!"

"MYEW!"

Lexaeus stared blankly at the Juu Senshi, his face and wispy hair smoking. He also had a gash on his cheek from Emma and Coeur's claws. "My suspicions are confirmed. It is not enough to simply fight." He held out his hands, and a curved tomahawk appeared between them. "I must use all of my power to destroy you."

"Big whoop!" Robin hooted. "Whatcha gonna do, poke us 'til we cry fer our mommas?"

A large boulder pinned the Osakan girl to the ground. "I can do more than poke, unlike that animist." He raised an eyebrow at Jake.

"I can do more than poke, too!" Jake whined. He pointed the Ikiteiru Shield at the boulder. "Animate!" The boulder flew off Robin, and back towards Lexaeus. "Ha! Wasn't that awesome, Robin?"

Robin glared at him. "Shaddup, Quinn Jr.," she responded, giving him a dirty look.

Sadym twitched. He reached for something in his back pocket again, but Lyze caught his hand. "No!" she whispered. "At least wait until after we take out the XIII Organization!"

"I've been waiting since she insulted me at the lodge," he hissed back.

Lyze sighed. "She just called you a wimp. It's not the worst thing you could do…not even close. And if there's any need for revenge, it should be on Jake's part. And look at him!" Jake was back by his sister's side, making various trees fly at Lexaeus. The viera chuckled. "Grow up, Sadym."

"Fine." Sadym looked like a little kid who was instructed to eat his vegetables. He kicked a clump of dirt. "I'll wait." He glanced sulkily back at Lyze. "Um…you can let go of my hand now, y'know…"

"Huh? Oh." Lyze turned red and dropped the Al Bhed's hand like a hot potato.

"Animate!" Jake yelled again, making some small rocks fly at Lexaeus. "Animate! Animate! Animate!"

Lexaeus laughed at him. "I control earth. Your attacks are futile."

"Hey, Axel?" Dia whispered. "Aren't you trying to kill these guys off because they're traitors to the rest of Organization XIII? Deviating from the path, or some other junk like that?"

Axel nodded. "Something like that. Why?"

"Does that make them evil?" He shrugged. "Great," Dia purred contentedly.

Lexaeus swung his tomahawk around. "I thought the Juu Senshi was stronger than this! But-" For a third time, he inhaled. This time, however, his eyes were dull and glazed over. "Jimmy cracked corn, and I dun care! Jimmy cracked corn, and I dun care!"

"Do you think this is just for fun?" Dia mumbled to Axel, who had yet again jammed the lower half of his face into his coat.

"Er…yeah," came the muffled reply.

"What about the 'deviation'?"

Axel cleared his throat and made his mouth visible again. "You're right. Don't let him stop." He tip-toed around Lexaeus, who was still screeching his repetitive little tune, and held his chakrams up high. "This is for the Superior," he told his former comrade. Then he stabbed Lexaeus in the back. "Let him go," he called to Dia. "Give him one last expository essay."

Dia nodded, and released Lexaeus. "Hurry up, your giant butt's starting to fade."

Lexaeus growled. "I suppose I owe you SOME sort of thanks…it would not be fitting for a warrior of my status to utter such last words as compositions about western-grown vegetables and cracking them for the amusement of a man named Jimmy, who, by the way, nobody even CARES about."

Everyone else stared blankly. "Okaaaaay…" Dia backed away slowly. "…I think that's enough."

"THAT is not fitting either!" Lexaus roared as his legs started to disintegrate.

Axel leaned against the café's outer wall. "You have, oh…ten seconds."

Lexaeus racked his brain for 'fitting' words. "This will not have been in vain! The Superior will destroy you! He will destroy you all! MWAHAHAHAHA…HA…how much time do I have left?"

"None," Axel replied. Lexaeus's head disintegrated. "Sora, Riku, Emma, you're up."

"Why?" Riku asked.

Axel looked up at the eternally reddish-orange sky. "You're our best bets to fight our next opponent."

Emma twirled the Hikari Sword like a baton. "I think I know who it is."

"Then I hope you're prepared," a new voice said coldly. "If not, this should go fairly quickly. Riku…" it murmured. "…I want to fight YOU alone. Axel, tell your little friends to step back."

Sora and Emma walked backwards. "There. Happy now, Zexion?" Axel yelled.

Zexion smirked. "Very." He looked Riku over. "I've heard about you…the one with ties to both the light and the dark."

"I rejected the dark," Riku informed him, aiming the Soul Eater.

"Oh, really…then let's have some fun!" Zexion shone for a moment, then Sora stood in his place. "Can you fight me now?"

Riku nodded. "Of course I can! It's obvious you're not Sora." He slashed at Zexion/Sora.

"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" The real Sora dropped to his knees nearby, clutching his arm.

"Sora!" Riku whirled around. "What did you do?" He looked like a rabid dog.

Zexion/Sora smirked. "Whenever you hit me, you hurt your friend. There's a limit to how much damage this hologram can take, though. Finish it, and it'll disappear. All that's left is me. But…what of Sora?" he wondered innocently.

Sora stood up, though he was still in pain. "Ignore me!" he insisted. "Just get rid of that hologram!" Riku took a deep breath and nodded. He stabbed Zexion/Sora through the chest. "AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" Sora yelled again. Riku advanced towards him, but Sora shook his head. "Forget it. His hologram's down."

Riku looked over at Zexion/Sora. Now, he was just Zexion. "Ha! All that's left is you!"

"Not for long…" Zexion transformed into Kairi. Zexion/Kairi cackled. "Can you still hit me?"

Kairi bit her lip. "Do it," she instructed.

"NAOSU!" Emma called. Her shirt and eyes turned green. She tapped Kairi on the forehead, and she also glowed green. "Go ahead."

Riku stabbed Zexion again, and the hologram disappeared. Kairi just smiled, devoid of all pain. "You did it!" she chirped happily.

Zexion crossed his arms. "Well, well, well…the elementalist is better than I thought. Petrify!"

"Tough luck!" The light around Emma deflected the attack. "Fight like a man, Zexion!"

The bishounen growled. "I'm not in the mood to be fair."

"Then neither are we!" Eclipse yelled. A thin, purple beam went through Zexion's forehead. Zexion's angrily distorted face became mellow and spaced-out. "I'll keep him busy."

"Everyone, switch to ice!" Axel yelled.

"YUKI NAIFU!" Emma turned blue.

"BLIZZAGA!" the other magicians yelled.

"FROSTBITE!" Robin called loading the Shinku Cannon again.

"CRYSTAL SNOW!" Kairi shot Zexion in the stomach with her Gyene Armlets.

"HYAH!" Silke swung her sword at Zexion's torso.

"ELA AHANKO!" Sadym released several shots from his machina rifle. He turned to Lyze, who was rummaging frantically through her knapsack. "Aren't you supposed to…y'know…do something?"

Lyze gave him a desperate look. "I don't have any Ice Rapiers!" she whined. "Only Red Mages can cast Blizzard!"

Jake trotted over. "I have an idea. Lyze, hand me a Mythril Rapier." Lyze picked up a glimmering, white sword and placed it in Jake's hands. "Sadym, give me your rifle." Sadym tossed his gun in the air, and Jake caught it. "I can control objects, right? Well, I have an idea!"

While the Juu Senshi were busy casting magic, shooting, and clawing, Eclipse was entertaining himself. His voice echoed inside of Zexion's mind.  _Hey, Zexion! Wanna hear a story?_

 _I suppose so,_ Zexion replied numbly.

_Okay! Imagine a black space, all white. Nothing else._

_Mmm-kay._

_Now imagine some grass, a shining sun, and a clear blue sky._

_Mmm-kay._

_You hear birds chirping. Then, there's a gunshot. The chirping stops. There's several thuds._

Zexion's lower lip quivered.  _Wh-what happened to the birdies?_

 _They're gone. But don't worry!_ Eclipse assured Zexion and his inner child.  _The birdies are in a better place now!_

 _Yay!_ Zexion squealed.

_But this story isn't about those birdies._

_It's not?_

_Nope. It's about what happened next. A little cow wandered by, curious about the birds and the gunshot._

_A widdle moo-cow?_

Eclipse nearly sweatdropped, but he had to concentrate on the diversion he had set up. If he lost focus, the link would be lost. _Y-yes, Zexion…a widdle moo-cow._

_Yay!_

_Anyway…the widdle moo-cow saw a little ball of purple…stuff…and the moo-cow was fascinated. His eyes got all big and shiny. It-_

_Mommy took me to the zoo once, and a cow wanted my banana! It-_

_Thaaaaat's nice, Zexion…but I'm telling a story, okay? If you talk, you can't hear it! So can you be quiet, Zexion?_

_Mmm-kay!_

_Well, the widdle moo-cow was fascinated, and his eyes got all big and shiny. Suddenly, the cow floated upwards, towards the purple…stuff. It got sucked inside!_

_Really? Wow!_

_No, Zexion. NOT wow. Y'see, the light made the cow feel funny. It was a ball of puuuuure darkness._

_Darkness?_

_Yes, darkness! The darkness made the cow implode!_

_What's implode?_

_Do you know what exploding is?_

_Uh-huh! When stuff explodes, it goes BOOM!_

_And explosions go outwards. Into little chunks and stuff. The moo-cow imploded instead of exploding. When stuff implodes, it gets sucked into itself, and shrinks until it disappears. It collapses into itself._

_And…the darkness made the cow implode?_

_That's right, Zexion. And do you know how the darkness got there?_

_How?_

_Well, someone put it there. They WANTED the cow to implode._

Zexion's lower lip was quivering again.  _Who would want a widdle moo-cow to implode?_

_You._

_Huh?_

_YOU put the darkness there, Zexion._

_N-n-no…_

_Yes! You made the moo-cow implode!_

_NOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Zexion looked around. "What's going on? What happened to the widdle moo-cow?"

Everyone else stared at him. "Eclipse, what were you making him think about?" Lyze asked.

"Imploding cows," he replied casually, as if talking about the weather.

Jake held up a white rifle. "It's done!" he announced proudly.

Sadym ran a hand over it. "What is it?"

"I used my animist powers to combine your machina rifle and Lyze's Mythril Rapier. It's called the Mythril Rifle!" Jake grinned. "Try it out on Zexion!"

Lyze and Sadym each took one of the massive handles, and each laid a finger on the two triggers. "I hope this casts the same magic as my normal rifle…"

"Well, we just have to try," Lyze decided. "Maybe the ice from your side can freeze the water on my side." She loaded her side, followed by Sadym.

"ELA AHANKO!" Sadym pressed his trigger.

"SLIPRAIN!" Lyze pressed her trigger.

"DUAL BLIZZARD!" they called together. A stream of water, occasionally dotted with bubbles came out, next to a stream of ice. They fused together and flew at Zexion, who froze.

The machinist breathed a sigh of relief. "That was awesome."

"Your turn, Axel!" Lyze smiled and handed the Mythril Rifle to Jake, who proceeded to separate it back into two.

Axel took out his chakrams again. "My pleasure." He tossed them both into Zexion's back. "Three down…two to go."

Emma frowned. "Hey! We're taking out ALL of the Organization members. That includes you." Axel got into a fighting stance, but Emma laughed and clapped him on the back. "Just kidding. If we get out of this, you're a Senshi no Meiyo."

"Is that good?" Axel asked. The Juu Senshi nodded. "Okay. I'd be honored to be a part of your group. I was prepared to fight you, but I see there's no need."

Robin tapped Axel's shoulder. "Hey! Ain't you supposed ta be Sora's enemy? Any enemy who's got a beef wit' Sora's got a beef wit' us, apparently."

Axel shrugged and pried Robin's hand off. "I don't have any clue what's supposed to happen anymore. Because of what you guys did, the game has been changed, and there's no way to change it back. Whether the change was for better or worse, though, nobody knows."

Dia absent-mindedly kicked a piece of black fabric that was on the ground, all that was left of Zexion. "So, who's up next?"

"That would be me." A woman with short, blonde hair appeared. She was holding several, golden kunai knives. "How're you, Axel?" she asked conversationally.

Axel crossed his arms. "Let's just get to business, Larxene."

Donald jumped up and down, squawking. "What's the big deal with you guys popping up all over the place?" He grabbed his famous hat, which was under Larxene's foot.

"Hey!" Larxene was about to fall on her face, but she teleported herself upright just in time.

Robin cracked up. "Oh, nice moves! Ya almost got tripped by a lousy duck!"

"Not now, Fuudo!" Dia glared. "We have to get rid of Larxene!"

"Shaddup!" She kicked Dia in the hip, making her crumple to the ground. "Yer worse than that Al Bhed wimp!"

Sadym pulled out a remote control, the object he was reaching for during the fight with Lexaeus. "That's it!"

"Cut it out," Lyze warned.

"No! I have to do it NOW!"

The metal bracelet Sadym had given Robin started to charge, with crackles of blue light. "What the…" Robin screamed shrilly, and she was electrocuted, her body smoking. Finally, she dropped limply to the ground.

"Um…what just happened?" Bernie asked fearfully. The Juu Senshi, Axel, and Larxene stared at Robin's lifeless form.


	17. The New and Improved Robin

"Well, isn't this a nice change of pace?" Larxene remarked. Everyone except her and Sadym were staring in horror at Robin, who was still smoking on the ground of Twilight Town. "You guys just ignore me and attack each other instead. It'll save me a load of much-needed time."

Sadym growled, panting. "Oh, shut up," he mumbled to the woman. "I'm going to attack you next."

"No, you aren't!" Lyze grabbed Sadym's wrist again. "You're sitting this one out!"

"Why?"

Bernie was the first Senshi to regain the ability to speak. "You…you practically killed one of our teammates!"

Sadym lightly kicked Robin with his boot, who responded with a quiet moan. "Well, she's alive, isn't she?" Lyze and Bernie just glared at him. "What?"

"How do we wake her up?" Lyze asked stiffly, slipping the machina bracelet off Robin's wrist. "Robin may be a pain, but she's a good fighter, and we need her."

With a heavy sigh, Sadym took Robin's arms and dragged her a few yards away. "I'll take care of it…you fight."

Larxene stuck her lower lip out and gazed disapprovingly over the Juu Senshi. "I liked watching you guys gang up on each other. Oh, well…" In one rapid movement, Larxene took out her electricity-charged kunai knives and tossed them at the Juu Senshi. "…time to fight!"

Axel smirked. "Finally, we agree on something." He tossed a chakram at his former comrade, then ran back to the others. "We should use water now, but our only fighters that can perform water spells are busy either glaring at Sadym or helping Robin, right?"

Sadym was kneeling over Robin and fiddling with the remote. "E cdemm tuh'd caa fro oui kioc yna cu fungat ib ypuid drec." He glanced up at Bernie and Lyze. "E sayh, huputo naymmo megat ran eh dra vencd bmyla, dra ihknydavim meddma…" His voice trailed off, cursing in Al Bhed.

"Basically," Emma responded to Axel.

"Then our best bet is doing various attacks. You know, normal attacks, like swordfighting…" He nodded to Silke, who nodded back. "…psychic attacks…pure genius, by the way, kid…" Axel gave Eclipse a wide grin, then continued. "…and Emma's grey stone."

Emma smiled and unthreaded the Guard Stone. "I've been waiting forever to use Steel Angel again!"

Larxene's voice shot across the floor. "Hey, I'm still here!" she scoffed. "Aren't you going to do something?"

Jake advanced towards Larxene with his hand in a pointing gesture, but Dia held him back. "I think we can do without the prodding for this boss, Jake."

"Myeh."

"STEEL ANGEL!" Emma's eyes and shirt became a pastel grey. She looked around. "Great…just great."

Eclipse raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

Emma sighed heavily. "I don't have that metal pole I bought from the Item Shop! I need something that's…"

"Animate!"

A loud, aluminum-like, ripping sound came out of nowhere. "…metal?" Jake proudly handed Emma an elongated cylinder he tore from a nearby lamppost. "Um…okay…" Emma spun it like a baton, then held it out towards Larxene. "You're going down, Blondie!"

"Well, well, well! This is getting interesting!" Larxene teleported behind Emma and placed a kunai knife under her neck. "Any last words?"

Eclipse teleported behind Larxene. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Larxene's right hand started glowing purple, and it jerked away from Emma neck, though it almost sliced her. "Eclipse!" she whined. "Be a little more careful next time!"

"It worked, didn't it?" The Nekoshu gave her a brief, apologetic smile, then bounded off towards the café. Eclipse executed a catlike jump and landed on its roof. "Axel!" he called.

Axel looked up. "Yeah?"

"Is Larxene vulnerable to stories about moo-cows imploding?"

The red-head stifled a laugh as he replied, "Sadly, no. You got any other parlor tricks?"

Eclipse frowned. "Parlor tricks? I'll show YOU parlor tricks! SHINZOU NIKUSHIMI!" A shadowy figure came out of his hand, then landed on the ground. "Attack!"

The shadow lightened, and took the form of what appeared to be a fully-grown Nekoshu. However, there were some eerie differences. Nekoshus had black, whisker-like stripes of paint on their cheeks. His were red. Instead of being shiny, his eyes were dim and yellow. Under his eyes laid deep bags. And instead of single-bead earrings with a fang attached, the decoration was a tiny Heartless insignia. But the scariest part were his limbs. His head was fine, as was his chest, but his arms and legs were skinless, and only rotting bones remained. The creature roared loudly and showed his feline fangs to Larxene, who was thoroughly freaked-out.

Axel clapped. "You never cease to surprise me, kid. You're only a teenager, and yet you can summon illusions of the Nikushimi."

"Myew!" Coeur, who was still perched on Bernie's shoulder, meowed happily.

Emma took a break from bashing the stiff Larxene with her lamppost piece. "Huh? What's a Nikushimi?"

"Well, first of all, you should back up." Axel motioned for Emma to follow him as the Nikushimi image started to attack Larxene. "Okay, this should be good enough."

"So, what exactly is a Nikushimi? And why do they look like Nekoshus? And why do YOU know about them?"

Axel put a hand on his head. "Slow down. One question, one answer, then I'll move on. 'Nikushimi' means 'the hated ones'. They're the enemies of the Nekoshus, even though they're closely related races. You know that Nekoshus are half cat, half human, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the Nikushimi are half cat, half Heartless."

Emma nodded. "Okay. So how do you know about them?"

"I traveled the Hollow Bastion floor with DiZ, once. I've never been to Hollow Bastion personally, but DiZ has. The Nekoshus and the Nikushimi were warring until four years ago. Eclipse's grandfather started the war, somehow. His father continued it. When both of them died, making Eclipse the new chief, he stopped it, and signed a peace treaty of sorts. Though the races still loathed each other, they agreed to stay out of each other's ways."

"And part of the deal was the spell Shinzō Nikushimi," Emma finished. "I get it."

Axel nodded. "Quite diplomatic for being only eleven at the time," he mused.

Emma's eyes widened. "Eleven? Wow." She looked at Eclipse again, this time in admiration, not confusion. "That's incredible."

"Yeah, well…oh!" He smirked as he saw Larxene crumble to the ground. "Gotta go stick a shuriken in that." Axel chucked both fire shurikens into the woman's back.

Larxene glared at him. "How…how is this possible? I lost…and to a little boy!"

Eclipse leapt off the café roof as Emma chuckled. "He's not a little boy, he's the Chief of the Nekoshus!"

"Well, just you wait!" Larxene snarled. "Not even a KING could stand up to Marluxia! That's right, he's your next opponent! And he'll crush you all! HAHAHAHAHAAAAA!" Her ringing cackle still lingered as she disintegrated.

Dia started sweating. "Marluxia? The head honcho of the castle?" She checked her watch. It read 4:00 PM. "Five hours until the fireworks display starts…we'd better hurry this up!"

"Aw, shaddup, Quinn…" a faint, weak voice complained. "…five hours…is plenty 'a time…"

Bernie let out a stream of air in a relieved sigh. "Robin's awake."

Robin sat up groggily. Her face and clothes were still charred. "Why wouldn't I be awake…Loony…?" With a groan, she rubber her head. "Ugh…what didjya do ta me, punk?"

Sadym glared. "Are you trying to annoy me, or are you just plain stupid?" Robin scowled and brushed some ashes off. "I electrocuted you because you were being a jerk! And you're still a jerk! Don't you get it? You make us sick!" he yelled. "Ask anyone in this group! Deep down inside, maybe even on the stinkin' surface for everyone to see! You all make us sick, and we have no idea why Haiiro picked you, because you're a lousy, bullying, JERK!"

The rest of the Juu Senshi member's faces fell. Even Bernie looked guilty. "It's…sort of true, Robin…I'm sorry…" She wrung her hands. "…you always call me Loony…and you have ever since I met you. It gets a little annoying…y'know?"

"You are kinda bossy," Jake murmured. "And you hate us. A lot. Don't…don't deny it…myeh." The more he said, the more depressed he got.

Dia put her hands on her hips. "I never liked you, Fuudo, so I have no problem agreeing." Still, she looked a little sad. "You really are a jerk. A complete and total…jerk." Her voice faltered when she finished. "Oh, man…"

Lyze covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, man…" she echoed. "…I never thought I'd see this…"

Throughout the short speeches, Robin had begun shuddering. They thought she had been shaking with rage, since they couldn't see her face. Now, everyone could see it, no matter how much they wanted to pretend they couldn't.

Because Robin…was crying.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, while some remained hovering in her watery eyes; she didn't even bother to rub them away. She remained sitting, not moving a muscle, except for her slightly quivering mouth. "R-r-robin?" Sadym stuttered. He seemed to have difficulty forming his next sentence. "Are you…" he swallowed. "…okay?" Robin said nothing, just let out little sobs.

"We're sorry, Robin," Goofy said sympathetically. "We just thought you were evil!" This made Robin cry harder.

Sadym pursed his lips, then picked up the machina bracelet. He forced it onto his own wrist, then handed the remote to Robin. She stopped shuddering and looked up. "Wh-what're ya doin'? That's what ya used ta shock me, innit?"

"Yes," Sadym answered quietly.

"Why're ya givin' it ta me?"

The Al Bhed looked stoically at Robin. "I want you to electrocute me."

"WHAT?" she yelled. "Whadda ya want me ta do that fer?"

Sadym scratched his head. "I electrocuted you. If you want, you can electrocute me. I should've known that you weren't so bad…it's a bad habit, nothing more, right?"

"What?"

"Being so tough. It's a habit. You wanted to hide your softer identity from your biker friends. Then, your fake image stuck."

Robin frowned. "Well…maybe…"

Dia smiled. "I get it now. Why else would Haiiro pick her? Fuudo had to be a total good guy at one point. I mean…" She extended her hand to help the other girl up. "…Robin."

"Eh…okay…" Robin held onto Dia's hand, then hoisted herself up. "…thanks…Dia."

Jake also smiled, then lightly poked Robin. "Does this mean I'm not going to be called Quinn Jr. anymore? 'Cause I don't like it."

"Nah, now I'm gonna call ya plain ol' Quinn."

"Myeh…"

"Just kiddin', Jake." Robin grinned and ruffled the little boy's hair. She looked back at Sadym. "Hey, you!" He looked up. "Keep yer weirdo remote. I didn't really wanna shock ya anyway." She tossed it back.

Sadym raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yep."

"OAC!" he hollered. Sadym grinned, then wrenched off the machina bracelet. He brought his foot down hard on top of it. "OAC! DRYHG OUI CU SILR! DRYHG OUI, DRYHG OUI, DRYHG OUI! Oui fuh'd naknad drec, E'mm cdub lnaydehk amypunyda bmyhc du tacdnuo oui yht syga oui byo, palyica oui'na YFACUSA, Robin, E sayh ed! Ur, DRYHG OUI, DRYHG OUI, DRYHG OUI! YMM NEKRD! HU CRULGEHK! HU CRULGEHK! HU CRULGEHK!"

Robin chuckled. "Hu bnupmas, pek kio. Zicd cdub oammeh', kud ed? Oan rindeh' so aync."

Everyone else stared blankly at Robin. "Since when can you speak Al Bhed?" Lyze asked nervously.

Bernie glanced at her, then at Robin, then chuckled. "Since I told her to say that about ten seconds ago," she replied.

"Yeah…but I still dun get what that stuff even means," Robin added sourly.

"Neither do I," a voice said. "So I suggest you stop."

Axel rolled his eyes. "Just come out and fight…"

Marluxia appeared on the ground. "Someone should really talk to you about your manners, or lack thereof."

"Someone should really talk to you deviators and those expository essays you spew before fights," Axel advised him. "So, are we going to fight, or what?" Marluxia stayed still and silent. "Oh, yeah…you want to fight Sora alone, don't you? I thought so, considering how much you were planning to stalk him. For a while, I thought you-"

"Bring me the elementalist," Marluxia spoke up.

Emma cautiously stepped forward. "Why?"

Marluxia crossed his arms. "The Keyblade Master is vital to the plot…but he is no longer the protagonist. YOU are the protagonist. And as keeper of Castle Oblivion, I must fight you."

Staring blankly into hyperspace, Emma didn't know whether to cheer or cower behind Sora and the rest of Juu Senshi. "I'm…the main person now?"

"I believe that is what I have just told you."

"Got it…so I have to fight you?"

"I believe I have said THAT too."

Emma laughed nervously. "Oh…yeah."

Sora chuckled, then whispered, "I guess becoming the most important member got to her…I however, could handle it fine."

Riku rolled his eyes. "She's stalling," he explained, then pointed behind the girl. A faint, yellowish mist hovered there, growing deeper by the second. "See?"

"So…I really AM the main person…?" Emma repeated awkwardly.

Marluxia furrowed his brows. "YES!" he yelled.

Emma took another step forward, and ripped off the Thunder Stone. "In that case…" She gave the trenchcoat-clad man a smirk. "…INAZUMA!"

"HYAH!" Marluxia stabbed the ground with his pink scythe. It split open, and a silver machine glided out. He smoothly leaped in. "Now you will see the true power of Organization XIII!"

Two golden fans appeared in Emma's hands, coursing with electricity. "Huh?" She glanced down at them. "Last time I used this attack, I didn't have fans…"

"It doesn't matter!" Robin called. "Jus' use 'em!"

Emma nodded, then spun in a tight circle, like a Japanese fan dancer. "Thundaga!"

Marluxia's machine was shocked with legions of lightning bolts that came out of the fans. A few screws popped out. "This machine was expensive to make!" he lamented. "I suppose I'll have to get serious, then…" He pounded on a button, and pink, feathery things came out.

"Oh, great." The feathers hardened to a point and flew past Emma. "Thundaga!"

The next round of bolts got dangerously close to him. One hit him in the forehead, prompting him to screech loudly. "You will pay for that, elementalist!" He hit another button, then hovered ten feet above Emma. A spike embedded in the bottom of the machine tried to stab her. "Try to dodge this!"

Emma put on a resolute face and hopped around at…well, lightning speed. "Whoa!" On its seventh try, the spike caught Emma's shoulder. She fell down, clamping onto the wound.

"Are you ready to give up, elementalist?" Marluxia sneered. "Pity…I thought you were stronger than this."

The yellow girl stood up shakily. "I am, and I'll prove it to you!"

Jake waved his arms frantically. "Emma! Give me your fans!"

"What? Why? I need them!"

"I have a plan to beat him!" Emma cautiously tossed him her fans. "I need your sword, too, Riku." Riku passed him the Soul Eater. "All right!"

Emma swerved between the spike jabs, then turned to Jake again. "Are you almost done?"

"Yep!" Jake proudly held up two strange-looking swords. The blade looked like the Soul Eater, except it was yellow. The fans served as the hilt, and the curved symbol of the Ikiteiru Shield was emblazoned on them. He tossed them back to Emma.

"Well, this looks cool…"

"Try to block the spike with them!"

The spike on Marluxia's machine dove at Emma again. "Okay…" Instead of piercing through the paper fan like Emma expected it to, a wave of gold light made the spike retract. "Cool!" Emma held out the swords. "Thundaga!" More bolts flew at Marluxia. Soon, he tumbled out of the machine.

"Yes!" Dia cheered. "Way to go, Emma!"

"We're not done," she informed her step-sister-to-be. She looked back at Axel. "It's your turn."

Axel shook his head. "Nah, you can finish him off."

"Okay." Emma raised both swords, then plunged them into Marluxia.

A pained look crossed Marluxia's face. "Well…you are stronger than I…anticipated…elementalist…"

Emma grinned, while her eyes and shirt returned to normal. "You bet!"

"But…there are more members in the Organization…they will want revenge, you can be sure of it…"

"Yeah, we kinda figured that."

Marluxia glared at her as he started to fade, as did the machine. "Even if you defeat Guardian, the Organization will remain. So do not get your hopes up. You may save your own world…but can you save this one?" And with than, he completely disintegrated.

Riku sighed. "We're going to need to do more fighting after we save the U.S.?" he asked.

Goofy winced. "I don't know…but how hard can these Organization fellers be?"

"We won't know until Kingdom Hearts II comes out," Bernie announced sadly. "And if they're the new bad guys, they'll probably be really hard."

"No use worrying about it now, though!" Emma grinned and walked away. "We have to get to the next floor!"

… … …

"Where are we now?" Silke asked impatiently. "We had better be close to the top floor…"

Jake sniffed the air. "It smells like cinnamon! And rabbits!"

Sadym raised an eyebrow. "It smells…like rabbits?"

"Yeah! Look at all the rabbits walking around!" he squealed.

"Those aren't rabbits, Jake." Dia lightly whacked him in the head. "Those are vieras!" She was right. The town was swarming with vieras, wearing intricate clothes of all sorts. "We must be in Muscadet."

"Huh?" Jake scratched his head.

Dia made a clucking noise with her tongue. "Muscadet," she repeated. "It's a town in Ivalice, where all the Vieras live."

"Guys, look!" Emma whispered. Among all of the fancily-dressed Vieras, a young one wearing pure-white robes and clutching a thick staff trotted down the street. She was humming an unidentified tune, and grinning at her surroundings. She was acting like someone else Emma knew…

"Hey, isn't that…" Jake started.

"I think that's…" Donald also trailed off.

Lyze grinned, gaining the same look the young White Mage had. "That's me!"


	18. Puttin' on the Ritz

"Whoa." Dia stared at Past Lyze as she trotted through the swarming streets of Muscadet. "She looks even younger than she did in Sadym's memory."

Present Lyze smiled. "I was nineteen years old then. Here, I'm eighteen."

Dia just blinked and continued staring. "Whoa," she repeated.

Jake lightly tugged on Present Lyze's hand. "Were you part of Clan Ritz?" he squealed. "It would be awesome if you were!"

"Clan Ritz?" Sora raised an eyebrow. "Why would Lyze be in a group with the same name as a cracker brand?"

"Ritz Malheur is a character from Final Fantasy Tactics: Advance," Emma explained. "She's a human, but she leads a clan of all-viera warriors. So, were you?" she also asked.

Present Lyze winked. "You'll find out soon enough," she replied slyly.

"So that's a yes?"

Her rabbit-like ears suddenly drooped and flattened against her green-tinted hair. "Yeah," she mumbled.

Axel took out a Mingling Worlds 3 card and followed Past Lyze. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's watch the memories unfold."

… … …

"Why are you so early, Miss Rune?" Past Lyze walked into a small, colonial pub. A man in a turban and a pointed, white goatee peered over his counter at her. "Mr. Berbier is still meeting with Miss Malheur right now…the clan meeting isn't for another half hour."

The little viera grinned. "Ezel's here?" she cooed, nearly tripping on her flowing, white robes as she ran towards the back room. "Ezel!"

A pink-haired girl looked up from a cardboard box. "Good morning, Lyze. I…didn't expect you so soon…"

"It's okay, though, isn't it?"

An older viera, in her mid-twenties, glanced at her, then cracked a small smile. "Of course. In fact, would you mind helping us with something?"

Past Lyze shook her head. "I'd be happy to, Shara!"

Shara passed her two more boxes. "Great. The brown box is our current law and anti-law cards. The white box is the ones that Ezel will trade with us."

"Um…yeah…good…er…which ones are which again?" Past Lyze asked nervously.

The pink haired girl sighed heavily. "The brown-and-gold cards are law cards. The white-and-pink ones are anti-law cards. Remember that."

A mooing laugh came from a corner. "Now, now, Ritz! Lyze is an innocent little girl who isn't accustomed to molding laws around." A grayish creature that resembled a manatee patted Past Lyze's head. "Cut her a little slack, hmm?"

Ritz gave him a slightly annoyed look, then replied, "I guess you're right, Ezel…" She turned to Lyze. "But try to remember which cards are which, okay?" Past Lyze nodded. "Good."

"Yoo-hoo!" a high-pitched voice called. "I'm, like, here!"

Past Lyze groaned in annoyance and attempted to cover her large ears. "Oh, no…it's HER."

"Miss Shara! I'm, like, ready for the clan meeting!" Another young viera ran down the pub's stairs and into the back room. She wore a yellow tank top, a matching miniskirt, a glittering headband, and dark brown ribbons around each wrist and ankle. She looked, overall, like a weak valley girl, except for the haversack slung over her shoulder, which was filled with arrows and several decorated bows. "I'm not, like, late, am I?"

"We're both early," Past Lyze announced sourly. "So shut up and help me look through these cards."

The other viera stared at her in disgust. "Help you? Ugh, like, gag me with a spoon." She flitted over to Shara. "Do YOU need any help, Miss Shara?"

Shara didn't look up from Ezel's stock. "Actually, Lyze is helping me. Thanks for asking anyway, Etoile."

Etoile continued staring. "Y'mean this little ragoverth?"

"Rago-what?" Ezel's cow-like snout twitched. "Dear me, I can't understand a lick of what you crazy kids say now!" He chortled good-naturedly.

Past Lyze glared at Etoile. "Don't worry, she's the only one who talks like that."

"What's SHE doing here early, like, anyway?"

Shara finally looked up from her work. "Same as you. Lyze was waiting for the clan meeting."

Ritz growled at the younger viera. "If you're not going to help, would you leave already? We have tons of work to do before the engagement with Clan Nutsy."

The valley girl raised her black-tipped hands defensively. "Don't, like, go on a babbling ram! The 'great' Miss Malheur shouldn't lower herself so much as to oi-ya all over some dorkasaurus like me." She skipped out the door. "Like, ignore me, I'm just gonna go nab a few baby freddies."

The back room was quiet. "Baby freddies?" Ezel finally murmured questioningly.

… … …

"Personally, I think Marche is, like, totally drooly."

Ritz, Shara, Lyze, and three other vieras gave Etoile confused looks. "Excuse me?" one viera in a red cape spoke up, shivering quite a bit.

Etoile rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a dweebweeder, Lotte. I said Marche is drooly! Do you need me to speak, like, idiopath for you?"

"That doesn't explain anything!" Yet another viera, this one wearing blue and silver armor and a white headband with a horn strapped on, placed a hand on Lotte's quaking shoulder. "Can't you talk like a normal person? You're acting like a moron."

"Ohhhhh, scholar, Aurelie!" Etoile snorted.

Aurelie pursed her lips. "Shut up. Ritz?" She leaned to the side to speak to the clan's leader. "Please continue."

"Yeah, we're going to need a good strategy to kick Clan Nutsy's butt!" an elementalist agreed heartily.

"Thank you, Darcy."

Ritz crossed her arms. "Yes, thank you, Darcy. Here's the strategy: Etoile, we're putting you in 2-3. You can shoot arrows pretty far, so you're being stationed in the back row."

Etoile pumped her fists in happiness. "Ka-kaw!" she squealed.

Trying her best to ignore the valley girl, Ritz continued, "Lotte, since you can cast spells, being a Red Mage and all, you're stationed in 2-1."

"O-okay," Lotte stuttered.

"Aurelie, you're in 2-4."

"Thanks."

"Darcy, you're good at plain physical attacks too, so we're putting you up front in 1-1."

"Got it!"

"Shara, you're in 1-3. You can shoot too, but we need you for primary defense."

"That's fine, Ritz."

"I'll be in 1-2. Lyze, you're in-"

Past Lyze grinned. "I'm in 1-4? Great! I've never been up front before!"

Ritz sighed. "No, Lyze…you're in 2-2. In-between Lotte and Etoile."

Etoile's eyes shot wide open. "Oh, barf me out! I have to stand next to that mailbox-head?"

"Please, don't put us together!" Past Lyze begged.

"Calm down. It's not like you have to hug or be friends…that's just your starting station."

Past Lyze and Etoile glared at each other. "Idiot," Lyze grunted.

"Zanzay," Etoile mumbled back.

… … …

"Okay, let's go over our stations." Clan Ritz was gathered at the foot of a snowy mountain in the Lutia Pass, as were the Juu Senshi, but out of sight. Ritz was perched atop a wooden post. "Etoile, you're in-"

Etoile crossed her thin arms. "Yappy-ho-yap-yap. We know our positions," she hissed, stealing a glance towards Past Lyze. "So, where is Clan Nutsy? They ARE, like, coming, aren't they?"

"Nice to see you again, guys!" A blonde boy wearing a red, white, and blue outfit stepped out of a crack in the mountain. Following him was a moogle with a green shirt, another moogle wearing white armor, a creature similar to Ezel who wore dim, red robes, a bipedal lizard with a purple, steel mask on, a viera wearing all black, and another human who wore a large yellow hat. "So, are you ready to start?"

Ritz smirked. "Whenever you are, Marche."

The first moogle hopped up and down. "Not yet, kupo! We have to wait for the judge, kupo!" A generic armored man appeared and blew a whistle.

"Happy, now, Montblanc?"

"Kupo…let's go, then."

Both clans assembled themselves into position. Then, the judge blew his whistle again, and Ritz leapt forward, brandishing a thin, lavender-colored rapier. "PIERCETHROUGH!" She stabbed the manatee-like creature, who grunted and stumbled a little.

Marche took a flask out of his pocket. "Azimov! Catch!" Azimov grabbed it and drank its contents in one gulp.

"Darcy!" the judge called.

The elementalist grinned and walked a few steps past Ritz. "Evil Gaze!" she yelled, holding up the Joyeuse, Present Lyze's favorite weapon. The dark energy ball floated into the human with the hat. His eyes dulled.

"Loki!"

After the judge called his name, the boy stepped forward, looking dazed, and shot an arrow into Montblanc's back. "Kupo!" he squeaked in surprise.

In the sidelines, Robin yawned. "This is pretty slow-paced. When's the REAL action gonna start?"

Present Lyze rolled her eyes. "This is a turn-based engagement. All Ivalician fights are."

"Boring!" Jake plopped down in the snow.

"Etoile!"

The Juu Senshi fell silent as the archer bounded in Marche's direction. They were eager to see the constantly-complaining viera prove herself in battle. "BLINDSHOT!" Etoile whipped out an arrow and shot it in-between Marche's eyes with an eerie and deadly accuracy.

Marche's eyes clouded and became black. He wobbled around, then smacked into the side of the mountain. "What's wrong with HIM?" Sora asked.

"Etoile blinded him," Present Lyze casually informed the Keyblade Master. "She was always good at blinding people…"

Jake was still sitting in the snow, yawning. "When's it gonna get good?" he asked, echoing Robin's earlier comment.

Emma hit him lightly. "Be nice, Jake."

Present Lyze just smiled. "Soon enough. In fact…look!" She pointed a black-tipped finger at a purple light that was shining in back of Aurelie. "This is when it gets good!" she whispered, as if she was watching a movie.

Aurelie turned around and jumped back. "What the…are you doing that, Darcy?"

Darcy shook her head. "The Joyeuse is still in my knapsack," she replied, pulling it out and showing it to the summoner.

"Then…Lotte?"

The Red Mage shivered. "No, not me," she denied fearfully. "Any of you?" She looked at Clan Nutsy, as did the rest of Clan Ritz.

Montblanc shrugged. "We haven't got a clue, kupo!"

"I'll see if I can get rid of it," Past Lyze volunteered. "SHELL!" A white barrier formed around the light, then cracked. The light was still there. "Well, that didn't help…"

Etoile scoffed. "And you, like, thought it would? Gosh, Lyze, you're such a metadork."

Past Lyze glared at her enemy, but stopped abruptly when a black figure came out of the purple light. "Whoa!" She cautiously held up her Pure Staff.

"Like, who are you?" the archer demanded.

The figure opened its glowing, yellow eyes. A smirk was visible beneath the strips of gauze covering its mouth. "Most call me Guardian…but you, young lady, may call me Boss."

Etoile stuck up her nose. "Oh, I'd LOVE working for a table-butt like you…yert!"

Guardian stared at her, not blinking at all. "Er…what?" He shrugged a little. "Listen closely. I am forming a…company…called the Heartless Army. I need the strongest fighters available, and it would please me for you to join."

"Table-butt," Etoile repeated.

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"NO!" she hollered.

The ruler of the Heartless narrowed his eyes until they were ominous slits. "I will not take no for an answer, you understand."

"Neither will we!" Past Lyze chirped, pushing Etoile forward. "Listen, Mr. Guardian Guy, it would please US if you took her off her hands. Win-win situation, huh? Well, then!" She gave Etoile one final shove. "Looks like you got yourself a recruit! Seeya later, Etoile!"

Shara sighed. "Lyze, we still need her."

Aurelie buffed her nails on her pastel armor. "Do we? Hadn't noticed."

"As much as I hate to say it, we DO need the valley girl," Ritz admitted.

"I need her more," Guardian insisted in a hissing tone.

Past Lyze, sighed, then stuck her index finger and thumb in her mouth, then blew. "Formation 7480!" she announced, and ran to stand in front of Guardian. Laughing, Darcy and Aurelie followed suit.

"I hate this formation…" Lotte grumbled, joining them.

Guardian growled. "What are you doing?"

Past Lyze just grinned. The four vieras starting singing off-key and doing the can-can. "Have you seen the well-to-do, up and down Park Avenue, on that famous thoroughfare? With their noses in the air? High hats and narrow collars, white spats and lots of dollars! Spending every dime for a wonderful time!"

Off to the side, Bernie laughed. "Why are you guys singing this, of all songs?"

"You'll see," Present Lyze told her, repeating the phrase she had said so many times during their stay in Ivalice.

The vieras continued singing. "Now, if you're blue, and you don't know where to go to, why don't you go where the fashion sits…"

Past Lyze raised her arms and dropped to her knees like some cheesy Broadway star and cooed, "…puttin' on the Ritz!"

Guardian looked far from amused. Not only were Past Lyze, Aurelie, Darcy, and a fuming Lotte doing the can-can, they were kicking him in the face. "Do they always do this?" he asked Etoile, who nodded somberly and flinched, since she was also being kicked.

In a reaction unlike her normal attitude, Ritz chuckled softly. Past Lyze got up and resumed her can-can. "Dressed up like a million-dollar trooper, trying hard to look like Gary Cooper!"

"Super-duper," Lotte sang out glumly.

"Come, let's mix where Rockefellers walk with sticks, or 'um-ber-ellas', in their mitts!"

Past Lyze twirled, then dropped again. "Puttin' on the Ritz! Puttin' on the-"

"You would fare well to close your mouth, White Mage," Guardian spat. He gripped her collar, and Past Lyze was suddenly six feet off the ground. He glared at everyone in Clan Nutsy and Clan Ritz. "If you do not supply me with a decent recruit by midnight tonight, I shall be forced to assume that you are willing to part with your little ringleader here…" He shook Past Lyze roughly, then dropped her. "…and that she is willing to part with her head!" He disappeared.

… … …

Clan Ritz was gathered around the table in the Muscadet Pub's back room. "I don't trust this Guardian guy," Ritz announced.

"Agreed," Past Lyze whimpered, rubbing her neck.

Aurelie banged her fist on the table, prompting it to shake. "We can't let Lyze go. She's too young." She gestured to Etoile. "She can go, though."

"I'M EIGHTEEN TOO, YOU RAGOVERTH!"

Nobody seemed to notice Etoile's comment. "So, who wants to join the Heartless Army? It'll probably be risky, but it seems like fun." Aurelie gave a dark chuckle.

"Not until we're sure of their motives," Ritz snapped. "I know I don't seem particularly caring, but I don't want any of you to follow that Guardian unarmed…except maybe Etoile," she mumbled under her breath.

Etoile pouted. "I, like, heard that!"

Ritz cleared her throat. "Any volunteers to check this guy out?"

Lotte did her trademark shudder. "Not me. It would be scary."

Darcy shook her head furiously. "I don't want to go either! Maybe I'll join after we see what he's up to, but no way am I going to be the guinea pig in this operation!"

Aurelie's hand inched her way up, but a soft voice interrupted, "I'll go."

Everyone stared at the White Mage in the corner. "Are you sure, Lyze?" Shara looked confused. "You just said-"

"I said I didn't trust him. I didn't say I was scared of him. I'll go."

Etoile waggled her fingers at Past Lyze. "Ba! We'll, like, miss you loads, Lyzzie!"

Past Lyze gave her an unemotional, half-lidded glance. "Whatever." She picked up her Pure Staff and stomped out the door.

… … …

"Have you decided to join me, girl?"

Past Lyze inspected the inside of the Cyril Town Pub. "It depends. I want more information on what you're doing."

"Pardon me?"

"The Heartless Army. What exactly would I be doing if I joined? And don't lie to me."

Guardian gave a loud, scratchy sigh. "I will tell you the basics."

Past Lyze crossed her arms. "No, you're going to tell me everything."

"Curiosity killed the moogle, you know. But if it will entice you to join, I shall impart the details to you."

"Fine. Whatever."

The spiky Heartless floated around, in deep thought. "I will admit, the Heartless Army is not particularly kind."

"I figured that from the name," Lyze responded rudely.

"Temper, temper…we are traversing to different worlds, all across the universe…and destroying them."

Apparently, Past Lyze had prepared herself for some devious plan, but this news of destroying entire worlds shocked her. "Destroying them? And the people in it?"

Guardian smirked. "And the people in it. Everything must be obliterated."

"That's horrible!" Past Lyze screeched. "How could you do that?"

"The light sickens me. Every light must fade…every heart return to darkness!"

Past Lyze tried not to let her terror get the best of her. "And when a heart returns to darkness?"

"They become my minions, naturally. You, however…if you join me in my quest, you will be likened to a hero among those who thrive in the dark."

"Heroine," she corrected stiffly. "And you're a jerk. A maniacal jerk."

Guardian growled, then narrowed his glowing, yellow eyes. "I take it that you will not join me?"

"No! And neither will anyone else in Muscadet, let alone the rest of Ivalice!"

"Foolish girl…if you do not join, yours will not be the only head to roll." He resumed floating around; he had stopped abruptly when Past Lyze reprimanded him. "I will personally see to it that every inch of this world crumbles."

Past Lyze's eyes shot open. "NO!" she cried again. "DON'T YOU DARE DESTROY IVALICE!"

"Well…it seems there is a bargain that can be made." Guardian smirked again. "I will spare your precious world…as long as you join the Heartless Army."

The viera hung her head sadly. "I'll join," she murmured. "Can I at least say goodbye to everyone in Clan Ritz?"

Guardian nodded. "I do not see the harm in that…you will never see them again, after all. This is a full-time job." Past Lyze remained silent. "You may spend the remainder of the day with them. Tomorrow, I shall give you a special ship for you to sail to a world called Spira. Your first duty is to pick up a fellow employee, a man called Karson Alka."

"Okay…" Past Lyze trudged out the door. "…but I still think you're a jerk."

… … …

The Juu Senshi walked through Baguba Port, an Ivalician city that laid in the middle of Cyril and Muscadet. "The last door's around here, right?" Emma was leaning against a street sign, rubbing her ankles.

Axel nodded briefly as he searched his pockets for a card to accompany the Key to Truth he had out, emblazoned with the Heartless Insignia. "This is, apparently, when Lyze leaves to meet Sadym and Kinzoku."

"His name's Karson," Sadym corrected him.

The red-head just shrugged and held out the Key to Truth card and an Alchemic Waking 7. "After this, we can see Naminé. Then you can carry out whatever business you wanted to." He glanced at Silke, who did nothing but continue to walk. "Let's go."

… … …

Ritz and the rest of her clan members were sitting on various pieces of luggage. They had been placed and discarded there by the many people coming to or from the port. "So…you're really leaving?" The leader tapped her fingers on a suitcase.

"Yes." Past Lyze was standing resolutely in front of a spiked, black Gummi ship. "Besides…it'll train me plenty, so I can be an elementalist, then a summoner."

Aurelie looked the most depressed out of all of the vieras. "That's good, but I wanted to teach you…it can't be helped, though."

Darcy lightly hit Aurelie's arm. "You guys should be happy for Little Lyze! She's getting her big break! Moving up from a clan, and into a big company where she can see other worlds!"

Past Lyze laughed nervously. She hadn't told them what she would be doing once she saw those other worlds. "I'll be fine, guys."

Shara smiled at her. "We know you will."

"Visit us," Lotte murmured. "We want to see how you're doing."

Etoile was glaring at Past Lyze. She didn't take too kindly to people stealing her 'spotlight'. "Rah, rah, Lyzzie got a job. Big whoop."

"Someone's jealous!" Darcy chirped.

The archer stuck up her nose. "I'm only quagging because you guys are, like, blowing this outta proportion."

Past Lyze grinned. "Don't worry, I'll be back when I'm a summoner…and then I'll kick your butt to show you who's boss!"

Etoile shook her head furiously. "I could, like, nape you any day, cakehead!"

Both teenagers advanced towards each other, but Ritz held them back. "This is Lyze's goodbye party. It's special. No breaking each others noses until she comes back."

Aurelie leapt off the parcel she was sitting on. "I know the perfect way to send her off!" She whistled, then yelled, "Formation 7480!"

"Formation 7480!" Darcy and Past Lyze echoed happily.

Lotte seemed to wilt. "I hate this…" she informed them. Still, she heaved herself up. "I'll do it for HER, though…" The Red Mage waved a finger at Past Lyze.

"Whoo!" Past Lyze ran away from the Gummi ship and over to her friends. They stood in a line, then glanced at Etoile. "Sure you don't wanna dance?"

Etoile stuck out her tongue. "No thanks. I'm, like, good."

Past Lyze shrugged. "Suit yourself. A-one and a-two, and a-"

"Have you seen the well-to-do, up and down Park Avenue, on that famous thoroughfare? With their noses in the air? High hats and narrow collars, white spats and lots of dollars! Spending every dime for a wonderful time! Now, if you're blue, and you don't know where to go to, why don't you go where the fashion sits?"

"Puttin' on the Ritz!"

… … …

While most of the Juu Senshi were talking about the events they had witnessed on Floor 12, Present Lyze and Eclipse were walking a few yards behind them. "Now I know why you want to save Ivalice so badly…it's an amazing place."

Lyze nodded. "Yeah, but I wouldn't mind Guardian and Taylor taking Etoile."

Eclipse laughed. "I know why you'd want that, too." He stopped abruptly, then looking up ahead at Coeur, meowing happily on Bernie's shoulder. "Hart says she's proud of my skills…but they're not good enough to change her back."

"She has every right to be proud, no matter what species she is!" Lyze exclaimed. "That Niku-Whatsit practically scared the daylights out of me!"

"Nikushimi."

"Yeah, that."

The Nekoshu stuffed his hands in his vest pockets. "I don't want to work for the Heartless. Not at all." Lyze's happy look faded. Eclipse seemed to notice this change, because he quickly added, "But if I have to, I'll go with them, just until I can change Hart back."

Lyze squealed loudly, attracting the attention of the Juu Senshi up ahead. "THANK YOU!" She clamped onto Eclipse head, refusing to let go.

"Um…what's going on?" Emma laughed.

The viera immediately let go. "Nothing," she lied poorly. She handed Eclipse a scrap of paper when the group turned around again. "This is the address to the Rei no Aku HQ, Dia and Jake's house. Tell them you're taking my place as the Magic Daimyo."

"Temporarily," Eclipse said firmly.

Lyze shrugged. "Okay, temporarily. Just go. And thanks again!" She patted Eclipse's head, then ran off to join the rest of the Juu Senshi.

Eclipse sighed. "Something tells me this is a VERY bad idea…" He walked over to the glowing sphere nearby, the Chain of Memories save point, and disappeared.


	19. The First Nikushimi

The Juu Senshi, minus Eclipse, ran down the hallways of Castle Oblivion. "Silke, Lyze, you never actually told us why we came here," Dia told the two ex-Daimyos. "What do we have to do now that we're on the 13th floor?"

"We need to find Naminé." Silke whipped her head in every direction, looking for Kairi's Nobody.

"Naminé! Are you there?" Emma called. "Naminé? Na-"

"Yes?" a soft voice interrupted. Everyone skidded to a stop, looking at the girl sitting in a chair nearby. She got up slowly, placing the sketchbook she was drawing in on the ground. "Are you the ones who changed the story?"

Lyze strode forward, shaking Naminé's hand. "Yeah, that's right. Nice to see you again, kid!"

Naminé smiled gently. "Likewise, Miss Rune."

Silke followed the viera up. "Naminé, I am going to get right to business here. I understand that you are a witch." Naminé nodded. "I also understand that you can rewrite peoples' memories?" Another nod. "Have you done any rewriting lately?"

Robin leaned against a wall. "Cut the small-talk, Silke. What's the real reason we're here?"

The swordswoman glared. "This is not small-talk. This is a crucial piece of information." She turned back to Naminé. "So, have you?"

"…yes."

"Whose?" Naminé focused on the ground, then whispered something. "What did you say?" Silke demanded.

Naminé looked up again. "Taylor Quinn's, Miss Sakura," she murmured.

Dia and Jake's eyes bugged out. "You made Daddy evil?" Jake whimpered.

"No…but the Superior told me to make him a memory where you two didn't exist to him. It was Guardian who made your father evil."

Dia crossed her arms. "Now I see why we came. We need Naminé's help to fix Dad's memory."

Naminé gave a little sigh. "To do that, I'd have to put every little chain back together…and that would take a year, provided we could actually get a hold of him, and put him in one of those," she explained, pointing to the flower-like machines in the corner. "I found another way, though. It'll be harder, but it's our only hope at the moment. You've all played the real Chain of Memories, right?"

"Yeah," Bernie replied.

"Well, you know when I was forced to rewrite Sora's memory, and replace Kairi with me?" Sora and Kairi twitched, but the real-worlders nodded. "What made him remember Kairi?"

Emma raised her hand meekly. "The good-luck charm she made for him?"

Kairi looked proud as Naminé answered, "Right! He needed to be reminded of something from his past. So, we need something from Taylor's past, to make him remember that he's really a good person! Then, all we need to do is to bring him to Disney Castle, and King Mickey can wipe out at least a bit of his darkness. He'll be a Twilight, but otherwise, he'll be back to normal!"

"But we need to find something from Taylor's past that will really jolt his memory," Lyze added. "Let's think…what was the last thing you two said to him?" she asked Dia and Jake.

Dia put her face in her hands. "Aw, dookie…Jake was singing 'A Dream Worth Keeping' at the top of his lungs on the way to the wedding ceremony. Dad just laughed, turned to Alissa, and said, 'Hey, why don't we make that our wedding song?'" She winced. "We don't have to sing to get him back to normal, do we?"

Naminé looked thoughtful. "It's worth a try…"

Emma shrugged. "The last verse is about keeping good memories, even if the darkness wants to stop you…that seems like an appropriate song."

"Well, it's settled!" Naminé giggled. "You have to find Taylor, sing that, and take him to Disney Castle. The Heartless will be vanquished in no time!"

Robin furrowed her eyebrows. "Jus' one problem…we dunno where Taylor is. Only one guy knows, and that's Grandpa Man-Lady."

A light shone in the middle of the room, and Haiiro floated out of it. "Yes, I have located Taylor. He still remains in Chicago, with Guardian. However, there is a more pressing matter; I have located Eclipse."

"What? He's right…" Emma looked around. "…here…? Where did Eclipse go?" Lyze tried to hide her guilt by sidling behind Sadym and Silke.

"He is at the Great Wolf Lodge. I will take you there, but I must leave once the transportation issue is finished," Haiiro told her. "Let us go."

… … …

The large group teleported to the back of the Great Wolf Lodge, after reappearing in Emma's dilapidated basement. "There's Eclipse," Riku scowled, lamely gesturing towards the Nekoshu boy in the distance.

"Eclipse!" Emma, Riku, and the rest of the Juu Senshi ran over to Eclipse. "Why did you leave?" Emma asked. "I was worried about you."

Eclipse gave his allies a blank stare. Then, he grabbed Riku's shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "See? She likes me better."

Riku turned his head slowly to glare at his rival. "What was that?"

"I said Emma likes me better. Now that we've got this settled, leave us alone." Riku stiffened suddenly. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Lyze's eyes widened as Riku clenched his fists and looked away. "Riku, no! He's trying to make you angry on purpose!"

"Nobody wants you here! Go back to your islands, wimp!"

"Ignore him, or you'll-"

"RRRRRAAAAAWWWWWHHHHHRRRRR!" Riku tilted his head back and roared, going into Dark Mode. His clothes changed to those he wore when he was working under Maleficent, the dress-like outfit. The only difference was that his eyes were now glowing red. "DARK FIRAGA!" he snarled, pointing the Soul Eater at Eclipse. A large, black, blue, and purple flame came out, hitting him squarely in the chest.

The others looked completely confused, but Emma looked terrified. "Riku, stop it!"

"Emma!" Eclipse called. "Stab him with the Hikari Sword!"

"But it only works on-"

Eclipse groaned and pointed at the hysterical Riku, who was panting. "Does THAT look like someone who's part of the light?"

"But…" Emma glanced at the shimmering, golden sword in her hand. "Fine." With a heavy heart, she trudged over to Riku and lifted the Hikari Sword. "Please, Riku…stop this…" She thrust it into his chest.

"Ugh…" Riku wobbled around, and his eyes became blue again. He looked down at the sword sticking through him. "What the…why did you poke me with that thing?"

Emma cautiously drew her blade out. Riku prodded his chest, then looked back up. "Are you okay?" He shrugged, and Emma breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you became dark again."

Riku shook his head. "No, that was just part of what Sadym gave me yesterday…you know, when he was giving us presents?"

Eclipse crossed his arms. "Okay, so you're not evil."

"No…but someone here is!" Riku snatched the Hikari Sword and ran back towards Eclipse.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Riku, that's not going to-"

"AAAAAAAAAAGH!" Eclipse fell to the ground as he got slashed. He twitched, then lay limp.

"Gawrsh, did that really just happen?" Goofy asked, leaning over Eclipse. He lightly shook Eclipse's arm, then turned to the rest of Juu Senshi in shock. "He's a bad feller now!"

Coeur leapt down from Bernie's shoulder, and pawed Eclipse's cheek. "Myew?"

Eclipse's eyes shot open, and he grabbed his sister by her neck. "Hart! You're coming with me!" he growled.

"What are you doing?" Emma cried. "How could you do that to Coeur?" She grabbed Coeur, and let the genet crawl into her arms.

Narrowing his eyes, Eclipse summoned the Yami Sword. "Lyze was right. It is my destiny to do battle with the Hikari Sword."

Lyze scratched her head as everyone else glared at her. "What does he mean, 'Lyze was right'?" Donald demanded.

"Well, Guardian said he would destroy Ivalice if I didn't join Rei no Aku," Lyze explained quietly. "He needed a Magic Daimyo…but that Daimyo didn't necessarily have to be me. So I asked Eclipse if he wanted to replace me, because he's a good psychic. As an incentive, I gave him that creepy sword. It's made out of darkness, so if Eclipse wields it, he's destined to fight Emma."

Emma was aghast. "Lyze, how could you?"

The viera's ears drooped. "I didn't force him to join or anything…not really…I just told him that Guardian can give Coeur her heart back if he joined."

"You lied to him?"

"No, no!" Lyze assured the elementalist. "He really can! I wouldn't lie to a kid like THAT." She gestured to Eclipse. "Really strong, y'know?"

Silke bashed Lyze in the head with her sword's sheath. "Yes, we DO know! And that is precisely why what you have done is incredulously foolish! Do you really want such a strong warrior on Guardian's side?"

"Yeah, he'll help us a lot."

The woman grabbed one of Lyze's ears, then screamed, "No, because we are not on Guardian's side anymore, you cotton-tailed, carrot-munching, nose-twitching NINNY!"

Lyze jerked away. "Yeesh, Sakura, I'm not a real rabbit!"

"EVERYONE SHUT UP, OR I'M GOING TO SHOVE YOUR LEGS DOWN YOUR THROATS AND WATCH YOU IMPLODE!"

The ex-Daimyos gaped at Bernie. "Did SHE just do that?" Silke asked the others meekly.

Emma groaned. "Guys, just help me fix Eclipse!" She turned to the psychic, and then murmured, "Eclipse, it's me! Emma! Your friend! You don't want to fight me," she tried to persuade him.

"You're right…I don't want to." Eclipse smirked. "If you join the darkness, I won't have to fight you. And you can be stronger."

"What?"

"Come to the dark side."

"We have cookies!" Jake added. The other Senshi glared at him, and he closed his mouth.

Emma shook her head. "No. I'm a Juu Senshi. I have to stop darkness, not help it along. And if it's our destiny to fight…" She sliced the side of Eclipse's arm. "…then it's got to happen."

"So be it…elementalist." Emma froze momentarily as Eclipse called her by her 'formal' name, the name all bosses referred to her as. "It's time to get serious." He held up both hands.

Axel tapped Emma's shoulder. "He's going to summon a Nikushimi. I just know it. It's going to be hard to beat, so I need you to…" He whispered in her ear, and she nodded. "Okay? Good."

"SHINZOU-"

"Eclipse!" Emma interrupted loudly. "What species are you?"

Eclipse rolled his eyes. "Nekoshu," he grunted. "I thought you'd know that by now." Axel gave Emma a hi-five as something started to appear. "What? That's not a Nikushimi!"

Axel smirked. "No, it isn't. We just tricked you into performing Shinzou Nekoshu!"

Instead of becoming a decaying cat demon, the image became a tall Nekoshu woman, with long, blonde-brown hair. Her white and gold clothes were fringed with pearly fangs, and she wore a necklace with a small ruby attached. "Why does she look so fancy?" Emma whispered.

"I forgot to tell you back in Twilight Town; both of the summoning spells create images of certain people, not just generic Nekoshus or Nikushimi," Axel explained. "This is the strongest Nekoshu ever, at least five times as strong as Eclipse, Chikara Kurosato. She was the chieftainess around 130 years ago, when the Nikushimi were first created."

"Created?"

"I'll tell you later. Right now, pay attention to Eclipse!"

Furious, Eclipse tried again. "SHINZOU NIKUSHIMI!" The frightening Nikushimi man returned.

"So, who's he?" Emma asked. "The strongest Nikushimi, right?"

"The strongest and the first. His name is Kirau Ketsueki, and he also ruled around 130 years ago." Axel chuckled as he saw the images of Kirau and Chikara preparing to fight each other. "Good thing they're only images, without personalities, or we'd have a soap opera going on now instead of a battle. They were friends before Kirau became a Nikushimi."

Emma sighed. "You've lost me," she informed him.

"Don't worry about it. Like I said, I'll tell you later."

Chikara took out two sharp battle-axes, decorated with even more fangs. Kirau just bared his fangs and flexed his claws. "Attack!" Eclipse ordered Kirau.

"You can do it, Chikara-chō!" Emma cheered, feeling it appropriate to give the Nekoshu the suffix for 'chief'.

The chieftainess swung at Kirau's arm, and all his bones from his elbow down were dislocated. He roared, then gave Chikara five deep gashes on her neck. "Call some Heartless!" Eclipse yelled. Several cat-like Heartless appeared, swarming towards Chikara, who batted them all away like flies.

"Daimyo Kurosato!" Guardian called, a hologram of him appearing in the air. "Ignore the Juu Senshi for now, and come back to headquarters."

Eclipse nodded firmly. "RECALL!" Both images disappeared.

"Hold him down!" Sora suggested randomly.

Snorting, various Senshi trotted over. Eclipse grabbed Coeur again. "Sayonara, Juu Senshi."

"MYEW!" The Kurosato siblings disappeared.

Some lodge employees peeked out fearfully. "Is it over?"

"Yes…" Emma told them sadly.

"Oh, good. Start the firework show!" one employee called to the office.

Emma turned around and walked inside. "Hey, where are you going?" Kairi asked. "You said this was a big holiday in the real world!"

"Whatever…"

Riku caught her wrist. "Don't let that moron ruin this for you, Emma. Stay out here with us!" Emma stayed silent, then took her hand back and walked back to her room.

… … …

"Emma? Are you in there?" Axel knocked on the door of the lodge room that the female members of Juu Senshi had rented.

"Come in…"

The cloaked man walked in, scratching his head. "You're really upset, huh?" Emma nodded, lying in a sleeping bag. "You liked him, didn't you?" She nodded again. "You wanna talk about anything?"

Emma sat up. "No. I'm not a little kid." Axel started to leave, but she continued, "I want to hear about how the history of the Nikushimi, though."

Axel laughed and sat down. "A bedtime story, huh? You seem like a little kid to me." Emma forced herself to smile a little. "Well, then! I don't know the entire story…I just saw what DiZ remembered when it was told to him. Here goes!"

… … …

Nobody really knows when the Nekoshus appeared. The only thing known about the ancient waterways is that they didn't have last names until about 158 years ago. They didn't have royalty until then, either. A Nekoshu named Kegawa was elected as chief; after that, it would be hereditary. The Nekoshus got to pick their last names, and Kegawa picked 'Kurosato', for the black, concrete areas that the chief got to live in. A little while later, Kegawa married a woman named Medea, and she became the first chieftainess.

Kegawa got to decide which parts of the waterways each family lived in. He made the two poorest Nekoshus, Higaisha and Takuramu Ketsueki, live in a rank-smelling, crumbling part. Higaisha tried to withstand living there, but Takuramu was livid. She hated the Kurosatos with every fiber of her being.

Time passed, and eventually, both families had a child. Higaisha and Takuramu had an adorable baby boy. They named him Daijikaze, but he was nicknamed Kaze. He would attack the sewer rats for fun, and his parents were proud of their strong toddler. Kegawa and Medea had a girl, the week afterwards. They weren't as proud, though, because they thought that girls were unfit to rule alone. They named their little girl Chikara.

On Chikara's tenth birthday, her parents decided that she should learn how to be a good chieftainess; how to be polite, how to rule fairly, and other things like that. However, Chikara didn't want to be the chieftainess; early on the morning of her birthday, she snuck out of the royalty section of the waterways, and into the slums.

She had lived a sheltered life, only straying short distances from her area, so she didn't know where to hide. After a few minutes, she found a small living area in shambles, with Kaze standing outside it. He had never actually seen the Kurosatos before, so he didn't recognize the princess. Chikara watched him play with some rocks for a while before he looked up. "Oh! I didn't see you there. Do you need something?"

Chikara blinked. "Er…sort of…do you know any good hiding places in the waterways?"

"Do I!" Kaze exclaimed. "I know them all! Come on!" Before Chikara could say anything, he ran down the nearest passage and motioned for her to follow. "By the way, my name's Daijikaze Ketsueki! But you can call me Kaze. What's yours?"

"What?" Chikara raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know my name?"

Kaze shook his head, still dashing along. "No, should I?"

 _He really doesn't know who I am!_ Chikara thought.  _This is perfect! Whenever people see me, they act all stiff, and I hate it. This boy's just acting casual around me! But I have to make up a name. I can't just ignore him…_

"Itsuwari," Chikara announced. "My name's Itsuwari."

"Your name is False?" Kaze laughed.

_You have no idea._

Chikara also laughed. "Yeah…blame my parents for that one."

Kaze stopped and thought for a moment. "I'll just call you Wari-chan. Better than being named False…how about that?" Chikara shrugged. "Okay, Wari-chan! Let's go find a hiding place for you! Why do you need one, anyway?"

"I'm trying to hide from my parents," Chikara explained. "They're trying to train me to be…um…well, it's some job."

"Already? No wonder you're trying to hide. What job?"

"I'm not sure," she lied.

Kaze puffed out his chest proudly. "Okaasan says I'm a great hunter! Before, she and Otousan would get our food, but I can sharpen rocks and make weapons! Plus, I'm good at fighting. So I want to be the Head Warrior!"

Chikara smiled. "Good luck! At least YOU'LL get a good job. I don't like mine."

"Huh? But Wari-chan, you said you didn't know what job you were getting!"

_Good one, Kurosato. You'll have to think fast if you want to clean this one up!_

"Well…I have an idea about what I'm going to be. Just an idea."

Kaze nodded. "Oh. What do you think you're going to be?"

_Does this guy ever quit?_

"Er…Head of Ceremonies," she mumbled.

"Yeah, that's pretty bad. No offense, Wari-chan."

"None taken."

_That was close._

Kaze pointed to a wall. "Here's my favorite. I even keep some food in here!" He ran his fingers over a particularly weak brick, and took out a strange, sticky, green substance. "This is called Mystery Goo." Then, he took some clear bottles filled with swirling white things. "This is called a Gale. Watch what happens when you synthesize them!"

Chikara leaned over the boy to watch him place the Mystery Goo on a tray covered with flaming red glass pieces. "What are those?"

"Flame Shards. Cool enough to touch, hot enough for synthesizing things!" He let the Gale float out. A few sparks flew up, and neither substance could be seen for a while. Then, Kaze picked it up. "And there you go!" He held up a small, green cylinder. "I call it a Mystery Key."

"That's not a key!"

Kaze laughed. "Yes, it is!" He knocked on the wall, and a brick fell out. In its place was a keyhole. He put the Mystery Key in, and the top molded to fit the shape of the real key. The keyhole clicked, and the wall swung open. "Ladies first!" Kaze stepped aside and let Chikara walk in. There was a room about the size of an average bedroom, and a basket full of fish, surrounded by Frost Shards, sat in the corner. "Nothing great, but it's decent, isn't it?"

Chikara looked around. "Yeah."

… … …

"CHIKARA!" Kegawa and Medea walked through the waterways, looking for their daughter. "CHIKARA!" Kegawa called again.

Inside the hiding place, Kaze was, for some reason, excited. "Whoa! The princess must have gone missing! Maybe someone took her!" he suggested, following by a mockingly evil laugh.

Chikara started sweating. "Um…maybe…"

"CHIKARA!"

_Well, this is just great…I'm hiding from my parents with a kid whose mom keeps trying to attack them!_

The princess sighed. "Kaze…I have something to tell you. My name isn't really Itsuwari."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that." Kaze laughed. "What IS your name?"

"Chikara Kurosato," she mumbled.

Kaze's eyes were incredibly wide. "Chikara-hime!" he shouted, bowing quickly. "Forgive me for being so casual with you, Chikara-hime! I meant no harm by it, Chikara-hime!"

_This is exactly what I was trying to prevent…_

Chikara shook her head. "It's okay. Just stop calling me Chikara-hime, okay? It's too proper."

"But-"

"No buts. You don't have to call me Wari-chan or anything, just drop the '-hime'," Chikara instructed. "Got it?"

Kaze stared at her, then nodded. "Got it, Chikara-chan. So…" He smiled. "That job…you're not going to be the Head of Ceremonies, are you?"

Chikara smiled back, weakly. "No. I'm going to be the chieftainess." She looked at the door to the hiding place as her parents called her name again. "I'm not leadership material, though."

"Sorry to ask, but…could you put in a good word for me, Chikara-chan?" Kaze begged. "To be the Head Warrior and all?"

"Sure. On one condition; you have to help me get better leadership skills. You seem really confident and all, so you seem like you'd be a good teacher."

Kaze shook Chikara's hand enthusiastically. "It's a deal."

… … …

Eight years passed. Chikara was finally old enough to rule by herself, and finally gave her good friend Kaze the job of Head Warrior. Well, she tried to. There was a problem.

"Women are in no position to make important decrees like that," Kegawa informed his daughter. "That is for a man to do."

Chikara, now eighteen, looked like she would explode. "Father, I understand what you're saying, but I regret to inform you that I am not a man," she told him irritably.

Kegawa nodded sagely. "Precisely. The Nekoshus need a chief."

"I don't need you helping me with my decisions, Father."

"I am not speaking of myself. I think it is high time you get a husband."

_A WHAT? I swear, if he wasn't my father, I would hack his limbs off and feed them to the sewer rats!_

Chikara kept her thoughts inside her head, and asked in a forcibly sweet voice, "Whatever do you mean by that, Father?"

Kegawa sighed. "Exactly what I said. You need to get a husband."

"Well, I don't know many people here, Father, aside from Kaze…who I'm definitely not marrying," she added quickly.

"Good. It would not be fitting for you to marry that Ketsueki filth."

_Filth? Forget the limbs; I'll give the rats all his internal organs!_

Chikara had to try even harder to steady herself. "Kaze is not filth, Father. He is my friend."

"Daijikaze is a poor boy who is not fit to be Head Warrior, much less the chief."

"HE WOULD BE A VERY GOOD CHIEF, BETTER THAN YOU'VE BEEN, BETTER THAN YOU ARE, AND BETTER THAN YOU COULD EVER BE!" And with that, Chikara ran out of the area, sobbing.

… … …

Chikara was sitting glumly in front of Kaze's area, with Kaze himself next to her. "Marriage! I can't believe it!" she bawled. "And to make things worse, he's already found a guy!"

"He FOUND one?" Kaze seemed half-stupefied. "You mean you're being betrothed?"

"Yes! To this complete imbecile named Fuyukai Kon'yaku!" Chikara sighed heavily and slumped over. "From what I hear, he can't tell a fish from a log. And he'll be ruling all of the waterways, probably bringing it to its doom. Then we'll have to have an heir…" She shuddered, and Kaze put a hand on her shoulder sympathetically. Chikara smiled a bit. "If we get a boy, his name's going to be Daijikaze. Even if I have to beat the living daylights out of Kon'yaku to make him agree."

Kaze smiled back. "Thanks, Chikara-chan."

The princess stood up, putting her hands on her hips. "I have to go meet this guy now…do you want to come with me?"

"No, my Okaasan has a surprise for me." Kaze also stood up. "It's a belated birthday present, but she says it's for you, too! I'll bring it by the royal area after you're done meeting Kon'yaku."

"All right, I'll see you later." Chikara walked back home, and Kaze walked inside his area.

"Kaze! Welcome home," Takuramu greeted her son warmly. "I'm sorry I waited a week to give this to you, but I had a spot of trouble finding it."

Kaze shrugged. "That's okay, Okaasan. What is it?"

The slightly wrinkled woman handed him an oak box. "Open it…oh, but wait for your father to come in! Higaisha!" she called.

Higaisha walked into the main part of the area, covering his ears. "I'm here, sweetheart," he mumbled. He looked over at Kaze. "Happy belated birthday, Kaze."

"Thank you very much, Otousan," Kaze replied.

Takuramu gave Kaze a wide, eerie grin. "You're so polite…and strong, too. It's very uncommon to find that in a boy. You would make a perfect chief!"

Kaze became very red. "Okaasan, the only way I can become chief is if I marry Chikara-chan. And even if I wanted to, which I don't, she's already betrothed to some high-ranking idiot named Fuyukai Kon'yaku."

"Ah, my dear son…that is what the present is for!"

"It isn't some potion to turn me into Kon'yaku, is it?"

His mother laughed, sounding much like a cackle. "No, it is better than some silly, temporary potion. Far better."

The teenager lifted the decorated lid, peering inside. "What is that?" It was pitch black and bubbled ominously. Waves of purple flashed past every so often. "How will this help?"

Takuramu held out a black, chipped cup. "It will make you more powerful than anyone has ever been. It will make you fearsome. That old fool Kegawa Kurosato will be terrified of you, and you'll gain the throne."

"But, the tribal warriors! Together, they could overthrow me!"

Higaisha led some Nekoshus into the area. "That's why we'll make you your own royal guards."

One Nekoshu, a girl slightly younger than Kaze, curtsied. "Nice to see you again, Daijikaze."

Kaze waved a little. "Hi, Shii-chan."

Takuramu rubbed her hands together. "I see you remember Atarashii Kouzoku. She's the third-strongest in the tribe, following that Chikara. You surpass both girls, of course. She's stronger than the current Head Warrior, Ka Gen, that ten-year-old. I haven't the faintest clue how he got the position; probably acquainted with the Kurosatos. She'll be the Head Warrior of our new society."

"That's very kind of you, Ketsueki-san." Atarashii curtsied again.

"Now, Kaze…" Takuramu took the box back and poured the contents into the cup. "This is darkness, in its purest form. As pure as darkness can get, anyway." She cackled loudly. "If you drink this, darkness will fill your veins. Yes, it sounds gruesome, but it will pay off. You will no longer be referred to as 'that mangy Kaze', but as 'Chief Daijikaze Ketsueki'! It will be magnificent!"

Kaze held the cup in both hands. "…really?"

Takuramu nodded. "The most magnificent thing ever to happen," she cooed.

"If you say so, Okaasan…" Kaze closed his eyes, then gulped down the murky liquid. He wiped his mouth. "That tasted sort of…bad, Okaasan." Suddenly, he stopped talking, and turned pale.

Atarashii put her hand on Kaze's back. "Are you okay, Chief Ketsueki?"

Kaze shoved her to the ground, then snarled, "I HAVE DARKNESS BURNING MY VEINS! DO YOU THINK I'M OKAY?" Everyone in the area except Takuramu screamed as the flesh on Kaze's limbs disintegrated. His mother just resumed rubbing her hands together greedily. Kaze held his face, and his brown eyes turned bright yellow. Deep bags appeared under his eyes, as if he had not slept in years. Instead of normal bones on his fingertips, there were gleaming claws. "AAAAAAAAAAGH!" His fang earrings faded out of existence, and were replaced by tiny Heartless insignias attached to black beads. Finally, on the back of his skeletal hands, the same insignia was tattooed. He looked up, and glared at everyone. "I have changed, haven't I…?" He looked down at himself. "But I suppose that's the price to pay. What must I do now, Okaasan?"

Takuramu smirked, and motioned for the other Nekoshus to step back, excluding Higaisha. "We must test your strength. Not only physically, but mentally. KILL your father."

Both Higaisha and Kaze stared at the short, maniacal woman. "Sweetheart…what are you saying?" Higaisha backed up against the wall, while Kaze advanced on him. "Don't listen to your mother, son! Why don't you kill Kon'yaku instead? Or someone else who isn't me?"

Kaze bared his fangs. "He already hates Kon'yaku," Takuramu announced proudly. "He needs to kill someone he loves."

"No…no! NO!" Higaisha's pained screams were drowned out as he was shredded to ribbons by the first Nikushimi.

Takuramu clapped, ignoring her husband's fresh carnage. "Well done, Chief Ketsueki. Now we must change the others into Nikushimi."

Atarashii took the cup from off the ground. She drank it, then shuddered and underwent the same changes that Kaze had gone through, but she didn't look quite as fearsome. She passed the cup to the others, who drank it in turn, and transformed. They admired their claws and bones, grinning toothily at each other and speaking in amazed, hushed tones. "SILENCE!" Kaze roared. The talking stopped immediately. "We must leave for the royal area now. But first…" He turned to his mother. "…you want me to be cruel. Is that right?"

His mother nodded. "Cruelty is strength."

Kaze growled. "You've been decided what I should do, and what I shouldn't do. You're treating me like a puppet! You want me to be the chief, but you're still giving me instructions! It will be as if YOU are the chief! You don't care about me at all! You just want to fulfill your petty little revenge scheme on the Kurosatos!"

Takuramu pretended to look innocent. "Oh, I wouldn't say that…but it's a possibility."

"Well, this all ends now, my DEAR Okāsan," he sneered. He ran towards her, then clawed at her neck. Takuramu's head flew cleanly off, whizzing across the area and spurting blood. Kaze turned back to his Nikushimi army. "Now we will go to the royal area. But please don't attack anyone unless it's absolutely necessary; before we were injected with darkness, we were Nekoshus, just like them. Now, we are Nikushimi, but we are their brethren. With that in mind, let us overthrow the Kurosatos!" The Nikushimi ran out, hissing and roaring. Kaze walked slowly after them. He stopped for a moment, then looked at the ceiling. "Chikara-chan…please forgive me."

… … …

Axel was playing around with his many zippers. "So, because the guy killed his own parents within one minute, he was called Kirau, 'the Disliked'. They would've called him 'the Hated', but that name was stolen by the Nikushimi. And that's how the first Nikushimi was created. The end."

Emma looked like she was about to smack him upside the head. "That's IT? That CAN'T be it! What happened next? Did Kaze…uh, Kirau…become the chief? Did he really marry Chikara? Was Atarashii the new Head Warrior? Did Kon'yaku get killed too? Was there a big battle? DON'T LEAVING ME HANGING LIKE THAT!"

"Yeesh, kid! You just wanted to know how the first Nikushimi was created!"

"No, I said I wanted to know the HISTORY of the Nikushimi!" Emma clasped her hands together. "I have to know this stuff, Axel!"

The Organization XIII member snickered. "Okay, okay. You'll probably need to know this when you're playing the changed version of Kingdom Hearts II. You're going back to Hollow Bastion, so this stuff might be necessary to know."

Emma nodded. "Okay. Tell me the rest of the story."


	20. More History With Professor Axel

The Nikushimi stormed through the waterways, knocking the Nekoshus out of their way. Kirau and Atarashii were in the lead. "Are we almost to the royal area, Shii-chan?" Kirau asked. "Some of the warriors seem to be a little…antsy…"

Atarashii snorted. "Then give them some catnip or something." Her yellow eyes shimmered with sudden excitement. "Or we could give them this little boy here…"

Young Ka Gen was standing in front of the Nikushimi, holding a wooden bow. "You can't come in the royal area! The chief, the chieftainess, and the princess are still meeting with Fuyukai Kon'yaku!" He took out several sharp arrows, and some Nikushimi stepped back.

Kirau, however, stepped forward. "I'm not afraid of you, Gen. And we must see all three members of the royal family. Now." He clawed Ka Gen's bow, and it fell apart. "Do you still want to fight us, little boy?"

The Head Warrior stared blankly at the neatly-carved wood chips on the ground. "The chief will get rid of you!" Ka Gen announced fearfully, running away. "He would never fall to some losers like you guys!"

Atarashii smirked. "Nicely handled, Chief Ketsueki." She walked up to the royal area. "Oh, Kurosatos! Your loyal subjects are here to visit!"

Medea came into view. "I truly am sorry, but we are meeting with the future chief…hmm?" She looked nervously at the Nikushimi. "Who are you?"

"The future chief," Kirau replied calmly.

The chieftainess shivered, then called, "KEGAWA!"

Kegawa, Chikara, and Kon'yaku rushed over. "Are you coming to pay your respects to me?" Kon'yaku asked in a pompous yet nasally voice. "If so, please leave your gifts and praise by the entrance."

Chikara stared. "K-k-kaze?" She started to reach out for her friend, but quickly retracted her hand. "Wh-what h-h-happened?"

"My name is Kirau," the Nikushimi corrected her. "And this…" He gestured to himself. "…is the present."

"What's going on here?" she cried.

Atarashii crossed her bony arms. "Chief Ketsueki has come to take his rightful throne, and marry you. Such an honor is wasted on such a simple girl…"

The princess glared at Atarashii. "Who are you calling simple, you…wait, did you say MARRY?" She turned back to Kirau. "What's she talking about?"

"My Okaasan wanted me to overthrow Kegawa and become chief of the Nekoshus."

"Oh, yeah? Then why isn't she heading this little 'operation', huh?"

Kirau gave her a half-lidded look. "Because I killed her."

"What? WHY?"

"Because she made me kill my Otousan."

Chikara just stared. "I have no idea what's happening, but I know that you've become sick, Kaze. Very sick."

Kon'yaku looked back and forth between Kirau and Chikara. "May I speak to you privately, Chikara?" Before Chikara could say anything, her fiancé dragged her to another section in the area, past the shocked chief and chieftainess, past the Nikushimi, far enough so they were out of earshot. "Are you actually willing to let some poor momma's boy take MY throne?"

"I'd rather have him than you," Chikara spat. "And it's not YOUR throne! I'm an heir by lineage; you're just a moron I got betrothed to!"

"I'd rather be a moron than dead meat!" Kon'yaku took stalked back towards where Kirau was with an evil gleam in his eyes.

Chikara lifted her leg up, tripping Kon'yaku. "If you don't cut that out, you'll be both!" she informed him.

Kon'yaku scrambled to his feet. "Don't tell me you actually like him!"

"He's my best friend, and he has been for eight years! He's just…changed…"

With a heavy sigh, Kon'yaku threw up his arms. "He killed his parents, he looks like a skeleton, he wants to overthrow Chief Kurosato, and you think he's JUST CHANGED?"

"It's his mother's fault!" Chikara insisted.

"His mother's dead! He doesn't have to follow what she said! He's acting on his own!"

The princess shook her head. "No, he has darkness in him! If we can just get rid of it, he'll be back to normal!"

Kon'yaku glared. "And then what? Then you'll have a sappy reunion, shove me to the side, say your vows, and rule happily ever after?"

"Kon'ya-"

"I need to be the chief! I need that power! If I have to marry you to get that power, then fine! Whatever it takes! And I'm not giving that power up to your homicidal childhood lover!"

Chikara glared back. "Childhood lover?" she echoed angrily. "He's not my-"

"Don't lie to me! I have eyes! I know what's going on between you and that murderer! Well, you know what? You're mine now!"

Kirau's voice came from around the corner. "Chikara-chan? Are you done talking to Kon'yaku yet?"

Kon'yaku grinned maniacally, then put his hands on Chikara's shoulders. "What are you doing?"

"Showing that slummer that I mean business!"

The Nikushimi looked around. "Chikara-chan? Kon'yaku?" He paused. "Chi…" His voice trailed off.

"Mmmph!" Kon'yaku pressed his lips against Chikara's, who looked both furious and scared. She kicked him where the sun doesn't shine, then jerked away. "Kaze!" she called.

Kirau was practically petrified. Suddenly, Atarashii came up next to him. "What's with all the yelling?" she lamented. "Did I miss something?" With a vengeful look aimed at Chikara, he grabbed Atarashii and kissed her. Atarashii's twitched as Kirau stepped back. "Yeah, I definitely missed something…"

"Come on, Shii-chan…forget about overthrowing the Kurosatos. Let's just make our own tribe. Just the Nikushimi." He stalked off, leading Atarashii by the hand.

Kon'yaku cleared his throat. "I suppose this means I'm the official chief!" he said smugly to himself.

Chikara stared. "You rat…look what you did!" Kon'yaku just buffed his nails on his leather vest. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID!" she ordered, shoving his face to look at the departing Nikushimi. "YOU JUST MADE MY BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD HATE ME!"

"Oh, forget about him. You have me now," he told her, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "I'm much better than that-"

"SCREW YOU!" Filled with rage, the princess did something she had never done before. Chikara took out two battle-axes, presents she had received from Kirau the previous year. She brought down both axes on Kon'yaku's head, slicing him into three pieces. "Serves you right," she murmured, breathing heavily.

… … …

"So, Kirau and Atarashii got married. Kegawa and Medea were sorry that Kon'yaku was so horrible, so they let Chikara pick a new husband. She married a Nekoshu named Zen Torikae, and they had a son. True to her word, Chikara named him Daijikaze, for the friend she had lost," Axel told Emma. "Did you like the story?"

Emma groaned loudly. "No, I didn't! That part was sad! Tell me the next part of it!"

Axel gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Emma… but there IS no next part."

"It ends like that?" she asked incredulously. "Chikara and Kirau never got back together?"

"Never. But if it helps, I can tell you anything else you want to know."

Emma nodded. "All right. Can you tell me how the war between the tribes started?"

Axel shrugged. "Yeah, I can do that."

… … …

Little Daijikaze was given the last name 'Kurosato', instead of 'Torikae'. Kegawa was old and sick around that time, and his dying wish was that his grandson kept the family name, instead of Zen's last name. His wish was fulfilled.

Daijikaze married a girl named Shizuka Josei when he was twenty years old. They had two sons and a daughter; Shin-nen, the older son, Kobito, the daughter, and Ihan, the younger son.

Two years later, Kirau and Atarashii's daughter, Osoroshii, got married. Nobody knows what her husband's name was, though; she accused him of cheating on her while she was pregnant, and killed him before her daughter, Itsumo, was born.

Shin-nen got married when he was twenty-five, to Natsumi Kunisaki. Meanwhile, Itsumo also got married…and killed HER husband, too. After these incidents, as well as the memory of the greedy Takuramu, Nikushimi chieftainesses always had more power than the chiefs, even if the chiefs were still alive. Shin-nen and Natsumi had two children, Hisae and Mamoru. Itsumo had a daughter named Satsujinsha.

Itsumo decided to take up her great-grandmother's dream of controlling the Nekoshus as well as the Nikushimi. But instead of using Satsujinsha to do it, she led the operation herself. She burst into the Nekoshus' area of the waterways. "Where is the chief?" she called. "I must see him."

"I hope you realize that this can be considered as trespassing," Shin-nen murmured, walking out of the royal area. He was followed by Kobito and Ihan. "What do you want, Chieftainess Ketsueki?"

Kobito swung a small mace around. "She probably wants to pick a fight with us." The Head Warrior and her brothers advanced on Itsumo. "Is that it?"

Itsumo feigned innocence, a trait she had undoubtedly picked up from the stories of her idol Takuramu. "Maybe, maybe not…it's fairly difficult for one to make up one's mind when a midget is brandishing a pointy ball in one's face," she sneered.

"Midget?" Kobito hissed.

"Calm down," Ihan begged, lightly pushing his sister back. He faced Itsumo again. "The 'pointy ball' issue has been resolved. Now make up your mind."

The chieftainess grinned toothily. "I suppose I AM here to pick a fight with you after all! You see, I am here to continue what my beloved great-grandmother and my grandfather have started. I am here to overthrow you."

Shin-nen laughed in disbelief. "All by yourself? Why, your grandfather brought an army of Nikushimi!"

Itsumo clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Grandfather Kirau didn't need that army. He murdered my great-grandparents within seconds. They were back-up. He could have gone on a killing spree, all by himself, and so can I."

Ihan quickly balled his hands into fists, making the decorative glass shards and fangs on his wrist ties clang together. "Put your gil where your mouth is, Chieftainess," he taunted.

Kobito raised her mace again. "That stupid Kirau couldn't beat the Kurosatos, and neither can you!"

Shin-nen took out a pair of daggers. "You could never dream of being as powerful as us!" He hesitantly lowered them for a moment. "I don't wish to go to war with your people, Chieftainess Ketsueki. I'm sure we can write a treaty…sort things out…honestly, I'd much rather talk than fight."

"And I'd rather fight than talk, Chief Kurosato." Itsumo flexed her claws. "I came to do battle, and I mean to do battle, even if I have to slaughter a few innocents along the way."

Ihan also lowered his hands. "Chieftainess, you can't fight Shin-nen. If you want to get Kobito and me, that's fine, but don't fight Shin-nen. He's a father! You have to understand that depriving two little children of their father is-"

"Don't lecture me. I was deprived of a father, myself. I deprived my Satsujinsha of a father as well. We don't need men telling us what to do," Itsumo retorted silkily.

Kobito rolled her eyes. "Yes, but Shin-nen's twins are not Ketsuekis. They can't simply separate themselves from others just like that!" She snapped for emphasis. "Unlike you mangy half-demons."

Shin-nen held his daggers up again. "It's no use reasoning with her. We'll just have to fight."

The royal siblings and the Nikushimi chieftainess fought. The battle ended fairly quickly, but nobody won. Itsumo breathed heavily at the finish. "You are strong…all three of you. But you are no match for me. I shall return."

And every day, for the next month, Itsumo came back and attacked. One the last day, she brought ten-year-old Satsujinsha. "You three against me is an even battle. We are exactly on the same level. But with my daughter, I have an advantage."

"Then I'll fight too!" a child-like voice rang out. Mamoru, only a bit older than Satsujinsha, ran to join his father, his aunt, and his uncle. "I've been training real hard!" he told Shin-nen. "Hisae has been too, but she's a chicken."

"I am NOT!" a girl's voice called from inside the royal area.

Shrugging it off, Mamoru took out a sack with a bow inside it, along with many arrows. "Ka Gen gave me his old weapons, from when he was the Head Warrior. I want to put them to good use!"

"Mamoru…please go back to your mother and sister. You are too young to be involved."

The prince just screwed up his face in determination, then fired a red-tipped arrow at Satsujinsha's arm. She clamped onto where she had been hit, yowling. "That's no ordinary arrow! What did you just do to me?"

Mamoru looked proud. "It was a Flame Arrow. It's powered with Flame Shards. This is a Frost Arrow!" Grinning, he shot a blue-tipped arrow just centimeters below the first arrow.

Satsujinsha's yellow eyes shone evilly. "You fool! Never mess with me!" She lunged forward and slashed Mamoru's face. Some blood leaked out of the cuts. "You should have listened to daddy dearest! This will become a war! Now that you've been involved, you have to follow through with it!" The princess laughed maniacally. "And mark my words, Mamoru, you will DIE!"

"I'll do whatever I can to protect my family and my people, even at the cost of my own safety," Mamoru replied calmly.

The Kurosatos gathered all of their warriors, as did the Ketsuekis. The little family feud had become an all-out war, as Shin-nen and Satsujinsha had predicted.

… … …

Axel yawned loudly. "So, that's how the war between the Nekoshus and the Nikushimi was started. Wanna know anything else?"

Emma thought for a while. "Well, Eclipse is the Nekoshu chief, right? Before he left, anyway."

"Yeah."

"How come Mamoru isn't the chief? If my mental timeline is correct, then he's Coeur and Eclipse's dad!"

Axel nodded. "That's right. So, you want to know what happened to Mamoru?" Emma nodded back. "Okay. But I have to tell you, like the other stories, this has a sad ending."

"Just tell it to me," Emma begged.

… … …

Eleven years after the war started, the fighting had slowed considerably, but the violent raids still occurred. Mamoru had gotten married to a woman named Unagi Giseisha, Hisae married a man named Kenka Yōchina, and Satsujinsha…you guessed it, she killed her husband while she was pregnant.

The children were born at surprisingly different times. Mamoru's daughter was born the year after he got married. His son was born ten years later. Hisae and Satsujinsha had their children five years later, with Satsujinsha's son born the week before Hisae's daughter. But the most surprising thing was that these two were born on Kirau's birthday, and on Chikara's birthday. In fact, people claimed that they shared many traits with their ancestors.

Mamoru was a little tired of all the Japanese names in the Nekoshu tribe. After all, they weren't Japanese, were they? He named his children after words they reminded him of…Hart and Eclipse. Hisae didn't agree with this view, so she named her daughter Saezuri. Satsujinsha named her son Gaunt.

When Hart was eighteen, Eclipse was eight, and Saezuri and Gaunt were three, Satsujinsha's prediction was in the process of coming true. One day, just before dawn, Mamoru got out of his makeshift bed, put on a cloak, and headed for Nikushimi territory. He had barely gotten out of the royal area when he heard rustling behind him. "Who's there?" he hissed, instinctively taking out his bow and arrows. Then, he quickly put them away with an embarrassed look.

Hart and Eclipse were standing in the main section of the area. "Where are you going?" Hart asked, flinching a little at her father's weapon. "And why are you up so early?"

"Why are YOU up so early?" Mamoru replied.

"Because we heard you get up," Eclipse explained reasonably. He fiddled with the tassels on his dark leather vest, an eerie contrast to his pale face. "You're not going to fight the Chieftainess again, are you, Daddy?"

Mamoru kneeled down and ruffled his son's hair. "I'm sorry, Eclipse…but I have to. I promised I would protect the Nekoshu tribe."

Trying to grin, Hart thumped her little brother on the back. "Don't worry, Dad can take care of himself. He's been fighting Satsujinsha since he was just a little older than you!"

Eclipse also forced himself to smile a little. "I guess you're right…good luck, Daddy." He clamped onto Mamoru's arm in an odd hug.

Hart copied suit and also gave him a hug. "Yeah, show no mercy to those creeps," she cheered.

Mamoru laughed and stood back up. "Thank you. I'll most likely be back around lunch, so I won't be gone for too long. Until then…" He saluted his children, then marched out the door, chanting, "Hut! Hut! Hut! Hut! Hut!" Hart and Eclipse just chuckled, going back to their respective sections.

… … …

"It's already noon…" Unagi murmured apprehensively, standing outside the royal area. She glanced back at her children, who were eating some unrecognizable type of fish off of two stone plates. "Your father said he would be back for lunch! What's taking him so long?"

Eclipse shrugged, trying to shove his mouthful of the fish down his esophagus with a wooden fork. "Mmmph-mmmph-mmmph-MMMPH-mmmph!" he suggested to his mother.

Hart shook her head. "Eclipse, next time you have something valuable to contribute, don't try to choke yourself with a pound of chinmi-tsuru," she advised, prodding her own heap of shimmering gold fish.

Unagi smiled gently. "Hart, be nice to your brother."

"Um…" Eclipse made another series of grunts. "…I think he wants us to go to the Nikushimi area," Hart attempted to translate, then gained a morbidly insane look. "And we can see the carnage Dad's probably causing!"

Eclipse's eyes widened and he spat out the chinmi-tsuru. "No! No! That's not what I said!"

Unfortunately, it was impossible to stop Hart once she got an idea in her head…especially when it pertained to violence. "When we get there, Satsujinsha will probably be a bloody pulp, begging for mercy!"

"Please call her Chieftainess Ketsueki, dear, she deserves respect too," Unagi implored, though it was obvious that she wanted to laugh.

"But she doesn't deserve Dad's kindness! So he'll shoot a round of those elemental arrows into Satsujinsha's head, finishing her off!" Hart put one foot on top of the table, and one fist in the air. "And Dad will strike a fearless victory pose, just like this! He'll be remembered throughout history as Chief Mamoru Kurosato the Great! No, the Awesome! No, the Super-Awesome! NO!" she thundered, putting her other foot on the table and waving two fists in the air. "CHIEF KUROSATO…THE OMNIPOWERFUL!"

Eclipse, as quiet and normally nonviolent as he was, giggled at his older sister's speech. "You're really weird," he commented.

Unagi grasped both Eclipse and Hart's hands. "Well, let's go see how your father's doing, shall we?"

… … …

The three Kurosatos stood by the battlefield in shock. "What were you saying about that victory pose, Hart?" Eclipse asked hoarsely.

Hart turned her face away, then glanced furtively back at the scene. "It's like a train wreck…you don't want to look, but you can't stop yourself…"

"Mamoru…" Unagi whispered.

The Nekoshu chief was lying on the ground, dirty, torn, and bruised. Satsujinsha, however, looked as prim and clean as someone with rotting limbs could ever hope to look. She bared her fangs at him. "Do you give up yet, you fool?"

Mamoru coughed, his whole body shuddering. He laid his head back down, then mumbled, "Over…my cold…lifeless…body."

Satsujinsha sharpened her claws on a rock slab jutting out of the wall. "That can be arranged," she purred.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Unagi ran out, throwing her arms around her husband's neck. She glared at the Nikushimi chieftainess. "You can't do this! He's-"

"I know, I know, he's a father. I've heard this speech before…this fool's aunt and uncle gave it to my mother on the day I met him," Satsujinsha hissed ruefully, kicking Mamoru's bleeding cheek, narrowly missing Unagi. "You know, it would benefit me greatly if you moved."

Unagi tightened her grip. "No! I'm staying with Mamoru, even if you have to…" she gulped.

Satsujinsha smirked. "Kill you?" she filled in. "That's fine with me."

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" Hart ordered.

"MOMMY!" Eclipse cried helplessly.

Mamoru tried to push Unagi away. "It's not worth it…go…" Unagi held him even tighter. "Children…" he breathed weakly. "…go get Kenka and Hisae, all right?"

Hart nodded nervously. "We'll go as fast as we can!" She picked her bawling younger brother up, then ran off.

… … …

"UNCLE KENKA!" Hart bellowed. "AUNT HISAE!" Nobody answered. Desperate for help, she went to far as so call, "SAEZURI!"

Saezuri waddled into view, the spinning image of a younger Chikara. "Mommy and Daddy left," she told her cousins.

Hart breathed a sigh of exasperation as she dropped Eclipse. "Where did they go?"

"Fish!" she chirped.

Tears streamed down Eclipse's face. "We'll never find them in time!"

"Yes, we will!" Hart insisted. She turned back to Saezuri. "Which fishing hole did they go to?"

Saezuri thought for a moment. "I don't know," she admitted.

Hart pulled at her hair. "UGH!" She tried to regain her composure. "What color fishies are your Mommy and Daddy getting, Saezuri?" she asked patronizingly.

Saezuri thought again, then announced, "Blue fishies!"

"Thank you!" Hart gave her little cousin a quick hug, then told Eclipse, "Uncle Kenka and Aunt Hisae are at the hole with the kiri-tsuru! That's around the corner!"

… … …

Hart, Eclipse, Kenka, and Hisae ran towards the Nikushimi area. "We have to hurry!" Hisae panted. "I'm not going to let my brother be killed by that bratty chieftainess!"

"Mom's probably in trouble too," Hart added nervously. Eclipse nodded in agreement, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

Kenka stopped in his tracks. "We're too late!" he roared. The Nekoshus surveyed the depressing area. Eclipse was bawling again, and some tears leaked from Hart and Hisae's eyes. "Satsujinsha! She…she…!"

Mamoru and Unagi lay on the stone ground, bleeding. Hart walked over and lightly touched her parents' faces. "She killed them," she whispered. "They're really dead."

Hisae dabbed at her eyes with one hand and held Eclipse with the other. "On the bright side…" she sniffled. "…Chieftainess Ketsueki didn't rip them to shreds." She reached out for her dead brother's hand. "We can bury them, at least. We can give them a proper funeral."

Kenka tapped his wife's shoulder. "Wait…if the chief and chieftainess are dead…doesn't that make little Eclipse here the new chief?"

Hart and Eclipse's eyes widened. "I don't want to take Daddy's place!" Eclipse sobbed. "Can't you do it? Or why can't Hart do it?"

"Because you're Mamoru and Unagi's only son. Age doesn't matter," Hisae gently explained. "But I suppose we should talk with the others to work something out."

"Where are we going to live?" Hart asked fearfully.

Hisae tried to smile, despite the fact she was kneeling by her twin brother and sister-in-law's corpses. "Don't worry. Mamoru said that if anything like this ever happened, like he anticipated it would, that we would gain custody of you two." Eclipse looked confused. "That means you'll be living with us for a while…hopefully, you'll move to the royal area later."

"Hey!" Hart put a finger on her chin. "If Eclipse is the chief, what am I?"

"What do you want to be?" Kenka asked.

Hart regained the maniacal look she had worn in the royal area's dining section that day. "The Head Warrior!" she announced. "I want to be the Head Warrior!"

Eclipse smiled a little bit. "You'd be good at that," he murmured.

Kenka and Hisae looked at each other, then nodded. "You would," Hisae agreed. "We're going to break the news to the other Nekoshus. Hart, would you please drop off Eclipse and Saezuri to the Kami's area? We need to go to the meeting, and I bet you'd like to come too, but Eclipse and Saezuri would probably prefer being with Miru."

Hart saluted her aunt. "As my first mission as Head Warrior, I shall guide future Chief Eclipse Kurosato and future Head Mage Saezuri Yōchina safely to their destination!" She took Eclipse's tiny hand and led him back to the Yōchina's area to get Saezuri.

… … …

Axel stretched a little. "Eclipse was later named as the new chief, and Hart was named the new Head Warrior."

"Is Saezuri the Head Mage now?" Emma asked. "And why didn't you mention Gaunt at all during the story?"

"No, Saezuri's still in training. She's only ten years old at the moment. And Gaunt…well, Satsujinsha didn't like him very much. When the Nikushimi evacuated Hollow Bastion when it was messed up by Ansem…he was left behind."

Emma gasped. "Is Gaunt dead?"

Axel shook his head. "No, he's very much alive. He was evacuated by Haiiro, by request of the current Head Warrior, Sakana Ryoushi. She thought he was adorable, and wanted to save him, despite the fact he was a Nikushimi prince. He had been abandoned, and she felt sorry for him. Besides, he's half-Nekoshu."

"He is? How could he be half-Nekoshu if he was Satsujinsha's son?"

For some reason, Axel started laughing hysterically. "It's a long story, so I'll shorten it. Let's just say that Satsujinsha got sort of…drunk." Emma started laughing too. "Naturally, she was pretty mad when she woke up with some Nekoshu. So, she killed him. When Gaunt was born, she was even more upset. He had tiny fangs, the size of a chihuahua's. His eye bags were barely visible, but still there. And his eyes, instead of being dull and yellow, were shiny and light brown. Satsujinsha was disgusted. She wanted to get rid of him, but his physical and emotional resemblance to Kirau made her keep him. When the time came that they had to leave, Satsujinsha tricked little Gaunt into staying behind. She had hoped that the Nekoshus would kill him, but they pitied him, and made him one of them."

Emma bit her lip. "Poor kid…I wonder how he turned out…wait!" She suddenly grinned. "In Kingdom Hearts II, we'll be going back to Hollow Bastion! Maybe we'll see him!"

Axel shrugged. "I don't know. If you're done being sad, though, I was going to raid the lobby for a laptop. We can look through those sites that pretty much spoil all of Kingdom Hearts II, and figure out what's supposed to happen in Hollow Bastion," the red-head offered.

Emma nodded and stood up. "Let's go."


	21. Kentou!

"Wake up!" A bright wave of sunshine blared into the sleepy eyes of the Juu Senshi's female members the next morning. Bernie was standing by the window of their shared lodge room. "Guys, do you know where Emma is? I haven't seen her since last night! And have you seen Lyze? Or Silke?"

Robin rubbed her eyes, then glared at the French girl. "No, we dunno, an' no, we haven't either. Can you get that stupid sunlight outta my face now? I wanna go back ta sleep."

"It's 8:37 AM," she announced.

"Not in Osaka, it ain't."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Dia laughed as she sat up. "She just wants an excuse to sleep in." Someone knocked at the door, slowly and weakly. "I'll get it. It's probably one of the boys." She heaved herself up and headed for the entrance. "What do you guys…need?" Raising an eyebrow, Dia held out a hand to steady the two figures in the threshold. "Are you okay?"

The bags Emma and Axel had under their eyes were almost deep enough to rival a Nikushimi's. "Yes. We were studying for what was coming ahead in Hollow Bastion after we save your dad," Axel tried to explain. "But, as you can see…"

"It didn't go too well," Emma croaked.

Axel scratched his head. "We found some interesting stuff about the other worlds you're going to see, unless I can weasel out of my Organization XIII duties, in which case I should say WE'RE going to see, but that's not really-"

Dia smiled, but there was a nervous tinge to her expression. "That's great and all, guys, and we appreciate your effort, but we need to know where Lyze and Silke are. They're missing."

The weary Senshi suddenly snapped to attention. "We saw the boys running up here on their way back from breakfast," Emma offered. "They looked excited about something."

"But about what?"

Sora burst out into the hallway from the boys' room, swerving towards Emma, Axel, and Dia. "Guys, you have to see this! Lyze and Silke are beating the snot out of each other!"

The other boys, excluding Riku, ran out after him. "Catfight!" Jake exclaimed eagerly. "Come on, Sis, before it's over!"

"And by over…" Donald added. "…we mean one of them gets killed!"

The trio's eyes widened, and they hurried into the boys' room. "What do you mean, killed?" Emma asked nervously.

Donald groaned as he led them to the furthest window of the massive suite. "I told you already! They look like they're going to kill each other! Oh, good, they're still going at it," he mumbled, waddling towards the window overlooking the courtyard.

On the lawn, Lyze and Silke were slashing furiously at each other. Well, Silke was, anyway. Lyze just seemed exhilarated and amused at the same time. A loud string of Japanese curses flew out of the samurai's mouth as the golden Joyeuse nearly caught her in the neck, audible even on the fourth floor. Lyze had apparently pretended to reprimand her, but her voice was far quieter to the ears of the remaining Juu Senshi.

Kairi, Robin, and Bernie ran into the suite. "Wazzat Silke hollerin'? What's goin' on?" Robin demanded.

"Catfight!" Jake explained happily.

Kairi nudged her way in-between Axel and Goofy. "Aren't you guys worried?"

"Of course not!" Sadym replied. "They're both highly-trained fighters."

Emma suddenly looked around. "Sora?"

"Mmmyep?" The Keyblade Master lazily turned around from the match.

"Where's Riku?"

… … …

"Stupid Eclipse…" With a loud splash, a pebble sunk to the bottom of a small fountain outside. "…stupid Eclipse…" Another pebble was tossed in. "…stupid Eclipse…" Yet another was tossed, this one sprinkling Riku's face with a brief, chilling shower of droplets.

Emma walked over, silently watching Riku take his anger out on the fountain.  _I should have known this was going to happen…I shouldn't have ignored him last night. What happened gave me no right to do that._

Riku was glaring into the watery depths, blindly groping into the garden behind him for more ammunition. He unknowingly came upon a glass shard from a broken pot, tearing a slit in his glove and scraping his palm underneath. "Ow!" He winced and held his hand tightly.

"NAOSU!" Immediately turning green from her use of the Cure Stone, Emma ran over. "Did you get cut badly?" she asked tentatively.

"I'm fine," the silver-haired boy lied through gritted teeth.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Riku, I'm sorry! It was wrong to ignore you, and I know I hurt you, and you can brood all you want later, but right now, your hand's bleeding." She gently took Riku's hand into her own, and tapped the wound. It dissolved slowly, and blank skin was left in its place. "Do you feel better now?"

Riku kept his eyes on the ground. "I guess so."

"Okay, spill it. Why are you so upset?"

"YOU KNOW WHY!" he snapped, then softened a little when Emma shrunk back. "You just…seemed really depressed when Eclipse…y'know…left. We were just trying to make you feel better, Emma, honest. We weren't trying to pretend that Eclipse hadn't taken Coeur…that he hadn't tried to attack you…we just wanted you to feel happy until we could go track him down."

Emma nodded. "I know. I was shocked, and I blocked everyone out…now that I think about it, you have every right to be upset."

"No, I don't. If someone I cared about betrayed me, I would be sad too."

"Hence the pebble-throwing."

Riku looked confused. "What?"

Emma laughed a little. "You were throwing pebbles into the fountain," she repeated.

"Of course I was, but how's that relevant?"

"You said that if someone you cared about betrayed you, you would be sad too."

"Again, how's that relevant?"

The elementalist was fully laughing now. "You're really clueless sometimes, Riku. I've known that you were jealous of Eclipse since we went to the Flapping Monkey Reserve. I've known that you liked me since we went to Neverland. My liking Eclipse must feel like betrayal to you, hence the pebble-throwing."

Riku turned a shade of light red and looked away. "And here I thought YOU were the clueless one…"

Emma put her hand on his shoulder, making him turn even redder. "Riku, I've been trying to find an easier way to say this for two years, but I can't find one, so I'll say it straight-out. I just think of you as my best friend. I'm sorry, but I do. My opinion of you has changed a lot since I first threatened you with the Blizzard Stone back in Monstro, but…I'd rather just be friends." Emma held out her other hand.

"Oh." Riku looked reasonably startled and put-down, but he didn't look like he would burst into tears. "If…if that's what you want." Time seemed to stand still as he hesitated. Finally, crumbling at the sight of Emma's resolute face, he shook her hand. "Just…friends."

"Thanks for understanding, Riku." For a moment, the two simply sat beside the fountain, quietly. The tense air was suddenly shattered by a scream. They both leapt to their feet. "What was that?"

Nearby, Silke's anguished cries pelted Lyze in the face. "YOU BROKE MY SWORD!" she howled. "I RECEIVED THAT SWORD AS A GIFT WHEN I WAS ELEVEN YEARS OLD!"

Lyze evasively shielded her face with her hands. "It's not my fault, you were the one who said you needed sword practice!"

"But I did NOT tell you to BREAK MY SWORD!"

Emma stepped between the quarreling women. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What happened?"

Silke sniffled and thrust two slabs of metal into Emma and Riku's view. "This viera slashed my precious sword in half! The ignobility of it all!" she wailed.

"I'm sure there's a way to fix it," Riku assured her.

The blonde stiffened. "There is," she agreed in a temperamental, staccato voice. "But I refuse to go."

Riku sighed. "Where do you refuse to go?"

"My home world."

"Why don't you want to go back home?"

Silke glared. "I have not been to Hanasekai in a decade. I doubt its denizens would repair my sword, much less allow the Valefor to even dock there."

Lyze rolled her eyes and grabbed Silke's wrist. "We're going back to the others, NOW. I'm going to teleport us back to Emma's house, we're going back into Kingdom Hearts, and you're going to give Sora directions to Hanasekai, whether you like it or not. And if you fake the directions and lead us to Agrabah, the Land of Dragons, Port Royal, or some other weird Disney world, I'm going to break more than just your sword, Sakura."

Emma drooped. "Aw, can't we just make a pit stop at Port Royal?"

The viera gave her a half-lidded glance. "Wait until we have to go through the sequel. Right now, Silke here needs a little blast from the past."

"Fine…" Emma crossed her arms as she and Riku followed Lyze and Silke back into the hotel, sadly humming 'A Pirate's Life For Me'.

… … …

"Go through the warp hole," Silke hissed, standing by the driver's seat in the Valefor. Sora was frantically pressing random buttons, then steered their Gummi ship into a swirling vortex. "Don't knock into those meteors. Keep one hand near the brake lever so you can prevent an impact with them. Eyes on the road, stop glancing at your little friends for help! Keep both of your hands at 10:00 and 2:00 on the wheel. Stay to the right side of the passage. And keep one hand on the gun trigger at all times, just in case."

Sora was sweating now. "But you just told me to keep my warp brake near my passage so I can knock the 10:00 friends with my wheel, and our hole won't impact with my right hand trigger!"

The Juu Senshi stared blankly at Sora. "Er…something like that," Silke mumbled. She picked up a piece of paper, wrote something on it, then handed it to Lyze. "I will be in the far room for a moment. Lyze shall be your guide for the time being." She headed to the back of the ship, and called over her shoulder, "Take care that you do not let Emma persuade you to travel elsewhere than Hanasekai! I need my sword fixed far more than she needs to see Johnny Depp."

The real-worlders all glanced over at Emma. "What's that supposed to mean?" Jake asked.

Emma just grunted as the Valefor passed a world that resembled a large, colonial ship. "Put a sock in it."

"Myeh."

… … …

"What were you doing back there, Silke?" Jake asked as he and the rest of Juu Senshi walked down the platform towards the surface of Hanasekai.

Silke glared at the little boy, then extended her hands. Both of her wrists now bore dark pink, metallic armlets with a Japanese character engraved in them. "I was given these when I was sixteen years old, along with my sword. They mark me as an adult. I did not want to be reminded of my home, so I have not worn them in the ten years that I have been away. I will have to don them again, however, if I am to make a good impression."

Bernie smiled. "I'm sure everything will be fine, Silke. After all, this is your home!"

"I abandoned this place," Silke murmured. "Therefore, Hanasekai is no longer my home." She looked sorrowfully at the pagoda-filled forest that laid ahead. "You may explore the town if you wish, but I must find…someone." Brushing the lush grass with the bottom of her kimono, she walked away.

The Senshi just glanced at each other, then shrugged. "Let's see if we can knock some truth outta someone here," Robin suggested. "Ten years or not, someone here's gotta know Lil' Miss Bushido. YO!" she called, cupping her hands around her mouth. "DO ANY A' YA KNOW SOME CHICK NAMED SILKE SAKURA?" The birds' chirping and the insects' buzzing suddenly stopped. Robin looked around and blinked. "Did I say somethin' wrong?"

"Nobody has spoken that name in a long time, young miss," a creaky voice replied. An old woman hobbled out from inside a white pagoda nearby, clutching a polished cane for support. "How do you know little Silke?"

Robin tapped her foot on the ground. "She ain't little no more, lady. My name's Robin Fuudo, an' I'm part a' the Juu Senshi," she announced, gesturing to her allies.

The old woman bowed her head. "My name is Hokori Ayame. You may call me Ayame-oya. Pleasure to meet you."

Robin nodded briefly. "Well, y'see…Ayame-oya…" she forced out. "…Silke Sakura's been accompanyin' us fer a few days, an' she broke her sword." Ayame-oya's eyes widened. "Yeah, so we decided ta drag her here by her ankles ta get it fixed. She got all ticked 'cause she was nervous 'bout comin' back. D'you have any idea why?"

Ayame-oya sighed and massaged her forehead. "Even as a child, Silke wanted strength. Eventually, she went a little too far, became very upset, and left."

"That's not helpin' much, Ayame-san."

"Well, would to like to hear the whole story?"

Emma laughed a little. "We've heard tons of stories about the past in the last week…one more couldn't hurt."

Sora nodded. "Let's have it!"

… … …

There are not many people living in Hanasekai; there are only a handful of families. Five families are considered very prestigious; the Ayame family, the Sakura family, the Bara family, the Sumire family, and the Hinagiku family.

Each family is renowned for some sort of contribution. The Hinagikus are excellent farmers, growing enough food for everyone, and doing a good job of it. The Sumires have keen minds, and are excellent inventors. The Baras are healers, and can relieve anything from a cold to a lethal wound. The Sakuras are blacksmiths. Yes, blacksmiths. Others complain that they cannot be suited for the job, due to their delicate appearances, but they can repair anything, and make exquisite weapons that must be seen to be believed. As for us Ayames, we are warriors. Samurai, for the most part. Forgive me if this seems like bragging, but our power is unmatched…except for by little Silke.

Silke was never much of a blacksmith. She wanted to wield swords, not just make them. Around the time of her eleventh birthday, she was sent to deliver some new swords to the Ayame Pagoda. My grandson, Koten, was only twenty-one years old at the time, but he was already the pride of the Ayame family. He was practicing outside of our home when he first met little Silke.

"Excuse me?" Silke stopped a few yards away, not wanting to get slashed. "Excuse me, I have something for the Ayames!"

Koten turned around. "Hmm? Oh, you're the Sakuras' daughter! Did you bring the swords?" Silke nodded eagerly and handed him a satin knapsack. He looked through it, grinning. "The craftsmanship is superb," he noted. "Much better than what we order by Gummi ship. So, how much is the set?"

Silke focused on the ground, trying to remember her parents' earlier instructions about the delivery. "Um…50,000 takara for the whole bag," she announced.

"Only 50,000? Well, it seems a shame that beauties like these should go so cheaply, but I am not one to refuse such a deal. Still…" Koten took some large, golden coins out of a bag, as well as some smaller ones. "…I will give you a few extra, for yourself. Think of it as a tip." He winked, then chuckled and went into the pagoda. Silke stared at the money in her hand, then back at the retreating Koten.

… … …

"Mother! Father! I sold the swords to the Ayames!" Silke called, walking into the Sakura Pagoda. A thick stream of smoke came out of the nearest room. "Where should I put the takara?"

A tall woman who looked almost identical to Silke, but much older, walked out of the smoke, waving it away. "Just hand it to me, dear." Silke held out the large coins, keeping the smaller ones in her fist. "Thank you. Now, if you could…hmm?" Sakura-oya craned her head to look at her daughter's fist. "What do you have there, dear?"

Silke shyly opened her hand, showing Sakura-oya the smaller coins. "It…was a tip. From…from Koten Ayame."

"Oh? Well, you must have been a very good delivery girl," Sakura-oya cooed patronizingly. "What are you going to do with the takara?"

"I want to buy a sword."

Sakura-oya blinked. "You do? Why?"

Silke scratched her head, then replied in a quiet voice, "I want to be a swordsman…er, woman. Swordswoman."

Her mother took the coins, studying them. "I am sorry, dear, but you only have 500 takara here. The cheapest sword we have is 10,000 takara."

"I will make any deliveries you need made! I promise! If I get tipped additionally, that takara will go to you, too! I will make deliveries until I have paid off the remaining takara!" Silke insisted passionately. "I want to be a swordswoman, and I want Koten Ayame to teach me!"

Sakura-oya bit her lip. "Well, you always seemed to like playing with swords more than making them…all right." Silke grinned. "Pay off your debt, and we shall see about making Koten your teacher."

… … …

Approximately a month later, Silke turned eleven years old. Now, Hanasekaian parties are nowhere near the type I have heard of in other worlds. It is merely the giving of gifts. No enormous cakes, no clowns. Silke ran over to my grandson and I as we came to pay our respects. "Ayame-oya! Koten!"

Koten shook his finger at her. "Now, now, you should show more respect to your elders! Address me as Ayame-sensei!" he scolded playfully.

Silke stared. "Pardon me?"

"I said you are to call me Ayame-sensei from now on, little Silke."

She turned around and stared at her parents instead. Sakura-dono laughed heartily. "Happy birthday, Silke! We have decided that as a present, we should give you the last 2,000 takara you owe us. So…" He extended a black, leather sheath with various flower designs embroidered on. "…we made you your own sword! And Koten has graciously agreed to be your teacher."

"You'll be a swordswoman after all!" Sakura-oya patted her daughter's head.

Koten grinned. "We start classes tomorrow."

Silke gently picked up the sheath, and tied the strap around her waist. "Thank you, Mother. Father." She bowed to Koten. "And you, Ayame-sensei."

… … …

Little Silke was an excellent student. Eventually, she could beat every Ayame who challenged her, except for me, for I am, and was, far too old to battle. Also, Koten remained more skilled than his student. Silke fought him once a week, but always failed. The gap between the two, however, lessened every time.

On Hanasekai, we have a ceremony for the coming of age. Every child undergoes it on their sixteenth birthday. They must complete a test, depending on which family they come from. A Hinagiku would have to grow some sort of plant. A Sumire would have to build something. A Bara would have to heal an animal from the brink of death. Normally, a Sakura would have to create a sword, but Silke, like an Ayame child, had to beat her teacher in a duel. She had five minutes to disable Koten, not kill, but disable; her objective was to render him defenseless by taking his sword, or at least forcing him to drop it.

Silke took the test on the afternoon of her birthday. Her parents and I were stationed outside of the Ayame Pagoda, acting as judges. I was in charge of the prize, a set of pink armlets with the character for 'sakura' on them. They were the emblems of maturity, for only those who pass are allowed to wear them.

Koten and Silke stood in the arena, a platform made out of white marble. Koten wielded one of the swords Silke had brought him almost five years before, a jagged blade. Silke herself wielded her trademark sword, with glass cherry blossoms decorating the hilt. Koten bowed. "Kentou," he murmured, the traditional sign of respect for starting battles.

Silke also bowed. "Kentou."

I cleared my throat, then called, "Begin!"

Silke lunged forward before Koten had even taken a step; she had obviously been practicing long and hard for this test. She swung her sword, and Koten lost his grip a bit, but kept his sword in his hand. "HYAH!" She thrust her sword near his head, not close enough to harm him, but enough to distract him, at least temporarily. Koten instinctively ducked his head, then came up to block Silke's next move. "Ugh!"

"You need to do better than that to defeat me!" Koten taunted.

Silke continued to wave her sword around, and Koten continued to duck. "One minute remaining!" I called.

Nobody knows what came over Silke next. She grew furious, all of a sudden, and slashed madly at the air. Koten dove to the ground to evade her. "What are you doing?" he demanded. Silke did not respond. She continued her frenzied swings. Groaning, Koten swerved around the sword's path, then stood up. Silke saw him out of the corner of her eye, and thrust her sword again.

The Sakuras and I gasped. An ounce of blood dripped onto the marble platform; Silke's sword had pierced the skin of Koten's shoulder, and Koten grew limp, falling like a sack of potatoes. He dropped his sword. "KOTEN!" I cried. I, too, dropped what I was holding, the armlets.

Silke stared at her teacher in horror. Almost automatically, she jumped off the platform, then took advantage of everyone else's shock to snatch the armlets up, and run for the Gummi ship dock. "SILKE!" Sakura-dono yelled. "SILKE SAKURA, YOU COME BACK HERE!"

"No!" She swung her sword again, but thankfully, it did not hit any of us. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she resumed her mad dash.

… … …

The Juu Senshi stared. "Why would she do that?" Emma asked.

Ayame-oya sighed, and massaged her forehead again. "Nobody has a clue. We have never so much as thought of the incident since its occurrence, much less analyze it."

"Because children were not allowed to work for Guardian," a smooth voice said from behind them. Everyone turned around to look at Silke. She looked depressed. "And unless I could defeat Ayame-sensei, I was to remain a child."

Goofy scratched his head. "Gawrsh, Guardian existed ten years ago?"

Silke nodded. "He is the ultimate evil. Even though Ansem did not become evil until but two years ago, Guardian existed long before then. And even though I was in the process of becoming an adult, I foolishly and childishly became infatuated with Guardian's promises of power." She focused on the ground. "When I left Hanasekai a decade ago, I could not find him, and he made no attempt to find me. I hid myself in Hollow Bastion for eight years, until Guardian sought out Ansem, and found me in addition." With a light sigh, she looked back up. "That is why I did what I did a decade ago. It is a petty reason, but it is the one I have."

Ayame-oya smiled. "But you have improved your ways, Silke. These fine people say that you are involved in their quest to purge their world of the darkness."

"I am," Silke replied. "But I spoke to my parents, and they would be pleased if I was to settle back here. Ayame-sensei agrees."

"But-" Jake started.

Silke glared at him. "No, I did not kill Ayame-sensei. I merely gave him a gash. One cannot die from so shallow a wound. In the shoulder, no less."

"What I was going to say…" Jake continued, "…is that we don't want you to stay here. We want you to stay with us."

The ex-Daimyo looked wildly back and forth between Jake and the rest of the Senshi. "Are you jesting? Surely he cannot be speaking on behalf of everyone!"

Robin crossed her arms. "I'm not gonna lie ta ya, Sakura. Yer a valuable part 'a our team. And ya've improved more'n Ayame-oya thinks. Ya tried ta kill Sora. Tried ta kill us all. Now, yer helpin' us. Sure, it may've started 'cause ya said that the enemy of yer enemy, Taylor, is yer friend, but…Jake's right. We wantcha ta stay."

"Please, Silke?" Kairi clasped her hands together. "At least until Taylor, Eclipse, and the United States are safe?"

Silke remained with her look of utter confusion. "You must be toying with me!"

"Like Bernie said, we just want you to stay a Senshi no Meiyo until everything's back to normal," Riku reiterated. "Then you can live on Hanasekai again."

For once, Silke had the aura of a scared kitten, glancing at Ayame-oya for aid. "I think you should stay with the Juu Senshi," she decided. "You may return once your task has been completed."

Silke bowed awkwardly. "Very well, Ayame-oya. I shall return."

"Guys!" Bernie called, holding a dead dandelion. "Look what I found!"

Donald scratched his head. "It's a dead dandelion."

"Yes!"

"What's the point?"

"She can find Eclipse and Coeur with the seeds!" Axel explained.

"Or Taylor," Sadym added.

Bernie nodded, and pulled off a clump. "Dia, hand me your travel map." Dia took a folded paper out of her jacket pocket, and placed it in Bernie's outstretched hand. She opened it, and put it on the ground. "Wherever the seed lands will tell where Eclipse is." She let the clump go. Most of the seeds fell to the ground abruptly, but four seeds started glowing. A silver one settled on Florida. The orange, black, and red ones landed on Arizona. "Well, we have two destination choices. What do you guys propose?"

"Well, which seeds are which?" Lyze asked.

The seer shrugged. "Let me check." She put her index finger on the silver one. "That's Taylor." Next, she put her finger on the black one. "Eclipse." Next, the orange one. "Coeur." Finally, the red one. Bernie raised an eyebrow. "Um…I don't recognize this person. Who's Alissa Baecker?"

Everyone stared at Emma, who was paralyzed. The only part of her that moved was her mouth, warbling a single word, one she hadn't spoken in quite a while: "Mommy?"

… … …

"Where's Taylor?" Alissa demanded. She was on the floor of what looked like a cave, in shackles. "Let me go, I have to find Taylor!"

Eclipse scoffed. "Shogun Quinn is halfway across the country."

Alissa stopped struggling for a moment. "Shogun?"

"Yes, that's his name. And I suggest you call him as such."

"What are you talking about? And why are you keeping me here?"

The Nekoshu groaned. "You ask too many questions. Shogun Quinn is the leader of Rei no Aku, along with Guardian."

"And I suppose you work for this Rei no Aku?"

"Yes. I am Magic Daimyo Eclipse Kurosato, as well as your jailer for the time being."

Alissa jerked her head towards the shadowy corner. "And I suppose she's your coworker? Or is she just hanging around for fun?" she asked sarcastically.

A woman with short, spiked black hair walked out of the darkness. Her face was pale, and her eyes were cloudy. Her movements were jerky, as if she were a life-sized puppet. "I am Sword Daimyo Hart Kurosato," she murmured dazedly.


	22. The Reunion

"Mommy?" Bernie asked. "Your mom's in Arizona? I thought you lived in Chicago!"

Emma nodded numbly. "I do. But my mom disappeared after the Heartless attacked." She suddenly whirled around to face the others. "We have to go to Arizona! Please, guys?"

Dia glanced at Jake, who nodded. Dia nodded as well. "Dad can wait. Besides, if we go to Arizona, we'll find Eclipse and Coeur, too. What do you guys think?" She was answered with general murmurs of approval. "Well, it's unanimous! We're going to Arizona!"

"Just a moment," Ayame-oya spoke up. "I found this on the ground earlier…I myself have no use for it, but I believe that it will be most helpful to you," she declared, handing Sora a small chain with a lotus at the end.

Sora bowed his head slightly. "Thank you very much, Ayame-oya." He switched the Ookami Keychain with the new one. The blade was made out of a shimmering, green metal. The hilt was adorned with glass roses, cherry blossoms, lotuses, daisies, and violets.

"It's pretty!" Kairi exclaimed. "I want one like that!"

A pillar of light shone a few feet away from the Juu Senshi and Ayame-oya. "That is the Shirohana Keyblade," a familiar voice explained. "It is exceedingly high in strength."

Robin rolled her eyes. "I think we can do without the showmanship, Haiiro. Jus' tell us whatever it is ya came to tell us."

Haiiro floated out of the light, adjusting his collar. "Very well. You must go to Florida at once. I have located-"

"Taylor an' Guardian, we know," Robin interrupted. "Save it fer later. We're goin' ta Arizona ta find Cat Boy an' his sister, along wit' Emma's mom."

The replica blinked. "How did you know? Only a highly accomplished seer could deduce that!"

Axel gestured to the flustered French girl next to him. "Accomplished seer, right here, remember? She figured it out with her dandelion seeds."

Haiiro smiled. "I must commend you on your skill, Bernie. But are you positive that you will be going to Arizona in lieu of Florida?"

"It's really important that we stop by," Donald told him. "Then we'll go beat the final boss when we're done."

"Very well. I trust you know what is right. Good luck!" Haiiro promptly disappeared.

Sora turned to leave for the Gummi docks. "Come on, guys, we've got to save our friends!"

Silke bowed. "I shall see you again, Ayame-oya. My duty will be fulfilled with the utmost speed."

Ayame-oya bowed in return. "I am sure it will, little Silke. You are traveling with a fine band of warriors." She waved as the Juu Senshi left.

… … …

"Man, is it hot out here, or what?" Riku panted.

Sadym wiped his brow. "Just be thankful that you're wearing a tank top. Ed ec rud ahuikr du samd y machina's bmydac!"

Bernie rolled up her sleeves. "Well said." She pulled out her dandelion, then plucked off three seeds. They changed colors and flew towards a mound of sand. "That's weird…it says that Eclipse, Coeur, and Alissa are right…AAAAAAAAAAGH!" The sand gave way, and Bernie fell through.

"Bernie!" Emma shouted. She ran over, and peered into the hole. "It's an underground cave!" Emma hurriedly jumped into it.

Dia snickered. "She's like a lemming, sometimes, isn't she? GERONIMO!" She also leapt into the hole, followed by the other Senshi.

A sinister chuckle emanated from deep in the cave once all of them had fell. "I'm so glad you could make it. Our fight was cut short back at the lodge, so I've been waiting for you…Emma."

Emma dusted herself off, then stared. "Eclipse?"

"That's right. So, are you prepared for a battle to the death?"

"D-d-death?"

"Isn't that what I just said? Of course, to the death! It is the destiny of the Hikari and Yami Swords to defeat the other!"

"Wait, brother," a female voice echoed. "Let me duel with her first. If she cannot defeat me, then she is not worth your time, and must not waste it."

Eclipse could be heard sighing heavily. "Fine, fight the elementalist. But I assure you, she is not a weakling."

Hart stepped forward, sharpening a small sword. "Neither am I."

"Coeur! You're back to normal!" Bernie cried.

Axel raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? How can you be sure that's Coeur?"

Bernie grinned at him. "She looks exactly like Miaow, her Nobody!" She started to run forward.

Emma shook her head. "Stay back, Bernie. I think Hart is possessed. Why else would she talk all fancy and want to fight me?"

Bernie's happy look suddenly faded. "Oh…"

"Why would I not want to fight you?" Hart demanded. "As a Daimyo, you are my sworn enemy!"

Emma twitched. "You're Rei no Aku's new Sword Daimyo?" Hart nodded. "Well, this is great…but I guess there's no way out of this. GINGKO!" Emma's eyes and shirt turned beige. A wooden bow appeared in her hand. "What? I didn't have this before!"

"You didn't have the fans in Inazuma form before, either," Goofy reminded her. "But you still used them to fight Marluxia!"

"Good point. Well, let's try this baby out." Emma shot an arrow at Hart. It pierced her belt. "Note to self: get archery lessons when all this Rei no Aku stuff is patched up."

Hart sneered. "I whole-heartedly agree." She reached down to pull the harmless arrow out of her belt. However, it wouldn't come out. "What?"

Vines flew out of the arrow's tip, wrapping themselves around the Nekoshu like a straitjacket. "Wow! This form is awesome!" Emma decided.

"Insolent girl!" Hart scooted over to a jagged rock, and cut herself free. "Ha! Is that the best you can do?" She lunged forward, attempting to stab Emma.

"JIKAN!" Emma turned black. She sped herself up, perfectly evading all of Hart's jabs. A large, black scythe appeared in her hand. She swung it around, nearly whacking Hart with the non-bladed side. The Sword Daimyo expertly parried the blow, and aimed for Emma's chest. "Whoa!" She side-stepped, and made her mace disappear. "ANTARES!"

Hart ducked below the purple mist that faded in. "Why haven't you hit me yet? What is holding you back?"

"…" A dark, purple staff with stars on it appeared in Emma's hand. With it, she banged Hart's shoulder. The Head Warrior fell to the ground, pressed by the forces of gravity. "…"

"Ugh!" she grunted. Hart pushed on the stone floor, but she could not bring herself up. "I seem to have been rendered helpless," she admitted. "What will you do now?"

Emma returned to normal, then crossed her arms. "Nothing. You're our friend, and I don't want to hurt you."

Hart glared. "Friend? You are my sworn enemy. We are nothing of the sort."

"Don't you remember? When you were a genet, you stayed with me," Bernie practically whispered. "We were best friends."

"Genet? What foolishness! I am Sword Daimyo Hart Kurosato, former Head Warrior of the Nekoshu Tribe in Hollow Bastion. My home was taken by the darkness, and I gladly joined Rei no Aku afterwards."

"No, you had your heart stolen, and turned into a genet! Haiiro gave you to me, so you could help us, since he said you had some weird powers, which we haven't even seen yet…but that's beside the point!" She kneeled down, so she was closer to Hart. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but you're not evil! You're my best friend!" she wailed, and hugged Hart.

"Best…friend…?" Hart's eyes grew less hazy, and she looked up at the girl. "Bernie…?" she murmured.

Emma grinned. "That's better!" She stomped, and the effects of Antares wore off.

Bernie looked like she was going to cry. "Hart, what happened?"

Hart sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes. "After my little bro teleported me here, he tied me up, and mumbled some spell…then I was a Nekoshu again! His eyes started glowing, and I lost consciousness. Must've possessed me…do any of you guys know where he is now?"

"Back here, DEAR sister," Eclipse snarled. He was standing behind the group. "I should have know that you Senshi would make me lose my control over her…no matter. A rematch is in order, elementalist."

Emma clenched her fists. "No, it isn't! I won't fight you!"

Eclipse smirked. "Oh, but you have to. Your sword is dying to defeat mine." The Hikari Sword appeared in Emma's hands, to her shock. "See? Even you can't stop it. It knows that it must fight me. You must satisfy its urges…come!" He summoned the Yami Sword, and swung at Emma.

"SHINZOU NEKOSHU!" A woman appeared in-between Emma and Eclipse, blocking the Yami Sword with the handle of a mace. Emma looked over her shoulder, at Hart. She gave a thumbs-up. "It'll be hard to lose this with Great-Aunt Kobito on your side!" she proclaimed.

Emma's eyes widened. "Great-Aunt Kobito?" She looked back at the woman. "You mean Chief Shin-nen Kurosato's little sister?" Hart nodded proudly. "But how?"

Hart smiled. "Little-known secret; you don't have to be a psychic to know Shinzou Nekoshu. Every royal gets to summon an ancestor! Eclipse originally had Chikara Kurosato alone, but the Nikushimi gave him Kirau Ketsueki, too. I have Kobito Kurosato!"

"So that's Hart's special power!" Bernie exclaimed.

Emma grinned at the Nekoshu. "Thanks a ton, Hart."

Eclipse glared. "So that's how it's going to be. SHINZOU NIKUSHIMI!" The ghostly image of Kirau fizzled into view. He swiped at his former friend's granddaughter with his claws. Kobito stumbled a little, then raised her mace again. Instead of attacking Kirau, however, she attacked Eclipse, whose forehead started bleeding.

"NAO-"

"Don't, Emma!" Sora warned. "You're fighting him. Even if he is Eclipse, he's a boss right now. You can't heal him!"

Emma nodded sadly, then jumped back instinctively as Kobito fell down and faded away. Hart flashed an ashamed look. "Sorry, but Kirau IS the First Nikushimi…I shouldn't have expected Great-Aunt Kobito to hold a candle to him."

"Don't worry," Emma dismissed. "I've got plenty of other attacks. WIND'S MASK!" She turned white, and flew into the air. A gleaming nunchaku appeared in her hands. "I love these new weapons! I wonder what this one does…" She cracked the nunchaku like a whip, hitting Eclipse's forehead again. An enormous gust of wind blew him back. "Cool!"

Eclipse held his gloved hand out, and aimed at Emma. "Let's see how you like this!" He used his telekinetic powers to shake her back and forth.

 _I can't believe I'm fighting Eclipse! I don't want to kill him, but if I don't, he'll kill ME!_ Emma turned into wind, and escaped Eclipse's wrath. She solidified on the ground. "Can't we just call this a tie?"

"NEVER!"

Emma cracked her nunchaku again, this time, dozens of consecutive strikes. Eclipse crumpled to the ground. He was covered in bruises. "Eclipse!"

Hart waved her arms furiously. "No, don't go near him! He's probably waiting to spring a trap!"

"Oh, you're no fun," Eclipse groaned. He leapt to his feet and threw Emma into the air with another telekinetic move. She fell down, rubbing her legs. "What's the matter, elementalist? Get back up and fight like a man!"

"I'm not a man!" Emma yelled, whacking him again. "How am I supposed to beat Eclipse? I need help!"

A gruff voice came out of nowhere, joking, "Say please."

Sadym grinned. "Karson!"

Karson tumbled through the hole. Once he got up, he prodded a shallow dent in his machine plates. "I gotta get that fixed later…what kind of guy has a hole for the entrance to his hideout?" He peered at Eclipse with his remaining eye, who looked bewildered. "Oh, that kind of guy."

"What are you doing here, Kinzoku?" Silke asked hostilely.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Karson raised his metal hands defensively. "Number one, it's Karson. I'm not working for that mummified Heartless and his puppet anymore, so I dropped the nickname. And number two, I thought you guys might need some help. I've been waiting for the opportunity to come on over since I heard that you guys and Sadym became chums. I was wondering why he'd left…besides, since the other two ex-Daimyos are here, I thought it'd be fun to join in the fun." He cracked his knuckles. "So…Emma, right? What're your orders for Chiefy here? Medium rare?"

Emma shook her head wildly. "Stunned!" she implored him. "Can you do that?"

Karson proudly patted a plate on his right arm, the space that his Sykel Tacdnildun plate had formerly occupied. "Thanks to the upgrade that Sadym and his coworkers gave me!" he announced proudly.

"I would like to see you try," Eclipse challenged.

A huge, white laser flew out of Karson's arm, and hit Eclipse. Eclipse fell again. "And that's how you take out the trash." Karson heaved the teenage over his shoulder. "Impressed?"

Emma nodded. "Very. What do we do with him?"

Lyze shrugged. "No clue. At least he's out for the moment, so we have time to think. For now, let's find Emma's mom!"

… … …

"Are we there yet?" Hart asked.

Sora scratched his head. "I don't know. I was hoping that you knew the way!"

"Let's ask Eclipse!" Jake suggested. "He'll know!"

Robin grimaced at the young boy. "Cat-Boy'd sooner knock off his own head 'fore helpin' us."

Lyze looked as if she had an epiphany. "We'd have to take Eclipse to King Mickey to get all the darkness out of his system, but I know how to kick his obsession with fighting you, Emma! Jake, can you synthesize our weapons?"

"Um…sure!"

Lyze handed him the Joyeuse. "You know Evil Gaze? The ability that turned Emma against you guys when we fought? That's what's forcing him to think he needs to kick your butt. I just made up that whole destiny stuff when I met him. When the Hikari Sword appeared without you telling it to, Emma, that wasn't by the sword's will; I saw Eclipse teleport it out. If we break the sword, he'll still be all dark and stuff, but he won't have any homicidal urges out of the blue."

Emma rolled her eyes as she handed Jake the Hikari Sword. "You're such a jerk, Lyze. And why do we have to synthesize our weapons?"

"It's the only way we can destroy the Yami Sword. The Joyeuse has to do it because it originated the spell, and the Hikari Sword balances out the darkness," Lyze explained.

A small burst of light appeared, and Jake passed a golden sword with swirling fire designs to Lyze. "It's called the Hikari Rapier."

Karson picked Eclipse off his shoulder, and took the Yami Sword from his hands, setting it on the ground. "There ya go, Lyze."

Lyze held out the Hikari Rapier, then brought it down on the Yami Sword with a "HYAH!" The sword shattered into pieces, and a cloud of darkness floated out. It faded soon after. "Now, can you wake Eclipse up?"

"I don't have an anti-stun button."

Before Lyze could make a suggestion, Bernie grabbed Eclipse's collar, then roared in his ear, "WAKEY, WAKEY! 'ELLO, POLLY! THIS IS YOUR NINE O' CLOCK WAKE-UP CALL, MR. POLLY PARROT!"

Dia flinched from the volume of Bernie's exclamation. "Someone's been watching too much Monty Python…"

Eclipse also flinched, then stared at the Senshi through wide, brown eyes. "What are you guys doing? And why did Bernie just yell in my ear and call me Polly?"

Robin actually smiled a little. "Whadda ya know, Eclipse's back to normal."

"No, he isn't." Lyze shook her head. "He may have his old personality and memories back, but he's still a bad guy."

Emma clasped her hands together. "Eclipse, will you please show us the way to get to Mom?"

"You mean Alissa? Man, she's annoying…let me down, would you?" Karson warily dropped Eclipse, who landed on his feet. "Give me a good reason why I should guide you."

"Because we're your friends!"

Eclipse stuck up his nose. "You used to be. Now that I'm working for Rei no Aku, I don't need you guys."

"At least for old time's sake? Please?" Emma begged.

The angry look on his face melted as he saw Emma's expression; Daimyo or not, he was still Eclipse. "For old time's sake," he grumbled, giving in. "But after this, you're my enemy again!"

Hart hugged Eclipse. "Thanks a ton, little bro!"

Eclipse led the Senshi to the right. "Just be thankful that I reconsidered. You guys would probably give up searching after a few more minutes and rot in a corner."

"Stop talking and lead us to Alissa," Dia ordered.

While the other Juu Senshi members talked amongst themselves, Riku walked up to Eclipse's side. "We need to talk about-"

"Emma. You're right," Eclipse finished with a quiet voice. "Look, you can keep her. I just wanted to make her like me more so I could get her to join Rei no Aku with me. Even when I refused to join, I knew Lyze would find a way to sucker me in, so I wanted Emma to join, too. Then I wouldn't have to kill her."

Riku snorted. "Lyze told us that you were under the Yami Sword's spell, and that the whole destiny thing was fake. You wouldn't have had to kill her, anyway. Besides, she made me promise to just stay friends with her."

Eclipse tried to look sincerely upset by the news. "Ouch. Well, there's other girls in the Juu Senshi that you could date..."

The bishounen shook his head, laughing a bit. "Kairi's taken by Sora, Dia already tried to set me up with Emma, Bernie's mood swings are dangerous, Robin scares me, Lyze is taken by Sadym, she's just too flustered to admit it, and Silke and Hart are too old. There are absolutely no other girls in the Juu Senshi for me to date. But it's like some guy once said: 'tis far better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all."

"What guy said that?" Eclipse wondered.

Robin slapped both of them in the back of their heads. "Yer momma did," she grunted angrily.

Riku turned red. "You were listening to us?"

"You bet a billion yen. If I wasn't so flattered by the fact that yer afraid a' me, I'd crush the both 'a ya fer playin' matchmaker when yer SUPPOSED TA BE LEADIN' US TA EMMA'S MOM!" she yelled, pointing at the dead end in front of them.

Eclipse rubbed his head. "Oops."

… … …

"Well, Alissa is just around this corner," Eclipse announced. "I have to leave now. I'll just tell Guardian and Taylor that you beat me." He turned around.

"Why can't you stay with us?" Lyze asked sadly.

Eclipse glanced over his shoulder. "I work for Rei no Aku now. Plus, won't Guardian get rid of Ivalice if he doesn't have a Magic Daimyo?"

Sora grinned. "After we take Alissa home, we're going to defeat Guardian and Taylor! He won't be able to get rid of Ivalice if he's a corpse, will he?"

"And…" Eclipse continued. "…now that I've joined the darkness's side, I can't go back. I have darkness in my veins."

Riku waved. "I was Maleficent's stooge a month ago, and look at me now! King Mickey can at least make you a Twilight."

Eclipse looked at each of the Senshi in turn. "Really? THE King Mickey? I've wanted to see him again for six years…" He sighed, and threw up his arms. "Sure, why not. I don't have much to lose…except for the possibility that Guardian will knock Ivalice into oblivion because of me, and will probably dismember me..."

Hart gave him a noogie. "You're being too pessimistic! Look on the bright side; you're traveling with the Juu Senshi, the strongest band of warriors in the universe! I mean, think about it!" She let go of her brother's head. "We've got two gunners, a seer, two elementalists, a possessor, two defenders, one of whom is an animist, the Keyblade Master, a Princess of Heart, a cyborg, a Nobody, a swordswoman, a magician, and two Nekoshu royals! How could anyone stand up to us?"

"Well, when you put it like that, we do kick butt," Eclipse agreed. "Let's free your mom now, Emma."

Emma nodded, then smiled at Lyze. "It's a good thing that you knew how to free Eclipse. Sorry I called you a jerk."

Lyze smiled back. "Don't be. I deserved it, possessing your crush and making him think he had to kill you or be killed himself." Suddenly, her smile faded. "Wow, that sounds even worse out loud, doesn't it?" Emma just patted her shoulder.

"Alissa!" Eclipse called, walking around the corner.

Alissa looked up, still chained to a rock formation. "Oh, it's you, Daimyo Kurosato," she spat. "What do you want now?"

Eclipse motioned to Emma, then kept his eyes on the ground. "I brought you something."

"Mom?" Emma stepped forward, and adjusted her glasses. "Mom!"

Alissa grinned widely and extended her arms as far as the chains would let her. "Emma!"

Kairi sniffled and rubbed her eyes. "I love happy endings!"

"Dun make me hit you," Robin warned the princess, but her own eyes were looking rather puffy. "This isn't even the end!"

Emma and her reunited mother hugged for a moment before Alissa asked, "Where have you been?" She craned her head to look behind her daughter. "And isn't that Donald and Goofy? And some King of Hearts characters?"

"Kingdom Hearts," Emma corrected. "And yes, it's them. Guys, come meet my mom." The other Senshi stepped forward. "This is Sora, Kairi, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Lyze, Silke, Karson, Sadym, Axel, Bernie, and Robin. I think you already know Eclipse and Hart…don't worry, they're good guys now," she added for the benefit of her now-livid mother. "And you obviously know Dia and Jake."

Dia and Jake waved. "Hi, Mrs. Baecker," they chorused politely.

Alissa waved in response, then turned back to Emma. "I still don't have a clue what's going on here!"

For the next several minutes, Emma tried to explain what had happened over the last two years; the mysterious phone call, the cheat code, having to travel the game universe, eventually dragging Dia and Jake into the effort, changing the storyline, bringing the Heartless into the U.S., learning that Taylor had replaced Ansem, meeting the new staff of Rei no Aku and eventually bringing them into the Juu Senshi, and their current mission.

"So you won't have to hurt Taylor?" Alissa clarified nervously. "Just sing a little?"

The Senshi clearly looked nervous as well. "Well, we'll have to restrain him first. He might get scraped up a bit in the process," Bernie told her. "Just a little, though. Emma has a few attacks that are perfect for restraining people."

Emma nodded. "Don't worry, Mom. We want Taylor back, safe and sound, just as much as you do. After we sort this mess out, you guys can finish your wedding!"

Eclipse took a key out of his vest pocket and unlocked Alissa from her chains and cuffs. "But it's not just Taylor I'm worried about…" Alissa murmured. "Will my little girl be all right?"

The Senshi all exchanged glances, then burst into laughter. Riku was the first one to regain the ability to breathe, so he announced, "Ma'am, your daughter is the strongest person I've ever seen. You don't need to worry a single bit about whether or not she'll be all right."

Alissa swiveled her head to look at Emma, then cast her a proud look. "All right. I trust you. Please bring Taylor back safely too," she begged.

Emma adjusted her glasses again. "You can count on us, Mom."

Lyze gathered the Senshi around her, excluding Eclipse. "I'll teleport these guys to Disney World," she volunteered. "You teleport Alissa back to Chicago. She'll be safer there."

"Teleport?" Alissa asked with a twinge of fear. However, there was no time to ask any follow-up questions, for Eclipse had grabbed her sleeve and teleported away in a flash.

"Well…this is it! The final battle! Exhilarating, don't you think?" Hart asked cheerfully.

Robin rolled her eyes. "Yeah, if ya like tryin' to serenade the baddie while he's tryin' ta cut yer throat," she responded sarcastically.

Hart ignored her, triumphantly raised her fist, and yelled, "Time to kick butt!"

Lyze laughed. "Er…I can only take a few people at a time, remember? I have to teleport you guys in shifts. We're not doing anything until everyone's in Florida."

"Then it's time to kick butt?"

"Yes."

"Awright!"


	23. Disney World

"Whoa!" The Senshi, still excluding Eclipse, appeared in the Magic Kingdom section of Disney World. The tourist attraction that had been known for being constantly happy and bright was now dark, ominous, and dilapidated. Dia looked around wildly, pacing back and forth in front of the burnt area that was formerly the Hub. Suddenly, she stopped and grinned. "Hey, check this out!" She picked up two bronze blobs from a pile of ashes, and lobbed them at Donald and Goofy.

Donald scowled at her. "What's the big idea? You could've knocked us out with these!"

"Turn them around."

Goofy turned the one he was given around, then yelped. It was a model of his head, and it had been sliced off of the rest of the statue at the neck. Donald inspected his as well. Its neck was uneven and bumpy, as if someone had simply knocked it off the body. "Is this the place you and King Mickey told us about?"

"Where our faces are everywhere?" Goofy continued. The real-worlders nodded solemnly. "Gawrsh, what happened here?"

Emma shrugged. "Guardian must have wanted to redecorate the place. Let me see those." Donald and Goofy handed her their heads. "I remember the first time I came here, I was too short to see the statues really well. So, Dad had to…" She trailed off, and sighed. "…nevermind. Forget I said anything."

Everyone's eyes were on Emma. "I remember when we were in Guadosalam, you wondered if your dad was in the Farplane," Sora reminisced. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know," Emma admitted, her eyes starting to water. "One day, when I was six years old, Mom picked me up from school, and she was crying. She told me that Dad had died…but she never told me how. He was a healthy guy…a strong guy. I have no idea what could've happened to him." She wiped her nose on the back of her hand, like a toddler. "I got really depressed, and immersed myself in schoolwork to hide my sadness." Emma looked up again, then cleared her throat. "Let's just go find Taylor."

Sora nodded slowly. "I think our best bet is that creepy-looking castle over there," he announced, pointing at the Cinderella Castle, Disney World's famous white-and-blue attraction. It was black and spiky now, and the elongated path through the middle was closed off by a metal door. "Let's go check it out."

… … …

"What's with the dents in the door?" Dia wondered. She felt the concave slots in the metal.

Jake jumped up and down. "Oh! I bet it's like in those video games, where you need to get something to open the door! Maybe you need orbs!"

Emma looked at the other Senshi. "Maybe…how many slots are there?"

"Five," Sora announced. "We should split into groups, and search Disney World until we've got them all."

Robin nodded. "Sounds like a pretty good plan…Sadym, Axel, we're goin' ta Adventureland. Always wanted to mess around there without any employees watchin' me…"

"I'll go with Donald and Goofy," Sora volunteered. "We can go back and check around the stores on that street." He gestured to the straight road that they had traveled to get to the Cinderella Castle.

Dia shrugged. "Okay, you guys got Main Street. Emma, Jake, and I will stay here, in Fantasyland. Karson, Silke, and Lyze, you guys can go to Tomorrowland. Hart, Bernie, Kairi, you're going to Frontierland."

Riku meekly raised his hand. "Who do I go with?"

Jake grabbed his wrist, and dragged him towards his sister and his step-sister. "You can come with us!"

Emma nodded. "All right, let's split up and look for those orbs!"

… … …

"Wow, this place is cool!" Sora sifted through piles of merchandise in a store on Main Street. "Here's a little souvenir, guys!" He handed Donald and Goofy little plushies of theirselves.

Donald inspected his plushie, still creeped-out by the little toy with his face on it. "Isn't this stealing?"

Sora shook his head. "Emma says you guys have been famous here for at least seventy years…think of them as royalties!" he told them with a grin. He ran into the back room. "Maybe the orb is in here."

Donald and Goofy followed him back. "Hey, fellers, is this it?" Goofy relocated a few boxes with his giant shoe, then held up a red, glass sphere that seemed to have a fire burning inside it. "It sure looks pretty! Ha-yuck!"

"Thanks a ton, Goofy! We should go give this to Emma." Sora started for the exit, but a wave of darkness blocked the doorway. The Trickmaster materialized and knocked the trio back with a wave of his flaming baton. "What? This guy again?" Sora took out the Shirohana Keyblade, Donald took out the Dream Rod, and Goofy took out the Dream Shield. "We're taking you down!"

… … …

Robin, Axel, and Sadym were standing on a high floor of the Swiss Family Treehouse in Adventureland. Robin gripped the railing, looking around with a mischievous smile. "I've waited a long time ta do this!"

"Do what?" Axel wondered.

The teenager said nothing, but hoisted herself onto one of the steel branches. "BANZAI!" She leapt from branch to branch, swinging around like a chimp.

Sadym and Axel blinked at each other. "She's crazy," Sadym whispered.

"I know," Axel whispered back.

Robin, who seemed to have reverted back into a preteen by fulfilling her childhood dream, just stuck her tongue out at them. "Nya, ya'all can say what ya want!"

Axel rolled his eyes, then walked over to a trunk. "I think I found the orb." He extracted a glowing, green orb from the hole.

"Really? Nice goin', Redhead!" Still looking at Axel, Robin swung to the next branch, and fell down. "What happened?" she grunted.

Sadym pointed to the branch that Robin was trying to swing to. "You bumped into that lizard."

"Lizard?" She looked up, then immediately summoned the Shinku Cannon. "Ya moron, that's the Stealth Sneak! What's it doin' here?"

Axel summoned his chakrams, and Sadym took out his machina rifle. "It doesn't matter!" Axel called. "Let's just exterminate it, then take the orb to Emma!"

… … …

"EEEEEEEEEEEK!"

Hart and Bernie clamped their hands over their ears to block out Kairi's shriek. They were sitting in train cars, and winding through geysers and rock formations. Bernie slowly took her hands away, then said, "Kairi, this is the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We're going to be sprayed by a lot of geysers. We're going to get wet. And you're not going to scream again," she told her firmly.

Kairi nodded quickly, then shrunk back into her mini-compartment. She sulkily glanced at one of the formations, then grinned. "Hart! Bernie! I found the orb!"

Bernie looked back. "Where?"

Hart pointed to the formation Kairi was looking at. "I see it! But we'll have to jump to get it!"

The three girls looked uncomfortable, but they leapt off the speeding train, and landed on the rocks. Kairi picked up a little, blue orb. "Great, we've got our orb! We just have to give it to the others!"

Hart and Bernie were ignoring her, however; they were staring at a giant, obese Heartless with piles of ice inside its clear stomach, a cape, and a crown. "That's the Blizzard Lord!" Bernie cried. "You're not supposed to fight him until KH2!"

Hart took out her small sword, and pointed it at the Blizzard Lord. "Then we'll have to fight him one game early." Bernie nodded and got into a fighting stance, while Kairi buffed her Gyene Armlets. "HYAH!"

… … …

Silke, Lyze, and Karson walked along the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway track. "Are we gonna have to drive in those little cars?" Karson complained. "I won't be able to fit!"

"Can you make wheels come out of your feet?" Lyze asked. "A lot of robots on TV can do that."

Karson gave her a funny look. "These machina plates were designed to make me a killing machine, not a rollerblader!"

Silke sat down in a white car with silver stripes. "You should attempt the feat, Karson. If you cannot, we shall procure the orb without your aid."

"Aw, fine…" Karson stomped his foot, and little wheels came out. "Oh. Guess I did have a set of wheels in there. What kind of idiot puts rollerblades in a killing machine?"

Lyze hopped in beside the ex-Sword Daimyo. "To go on a top-speed spree?" she hypothesized. "Anyway, what do we do now?"

Suddenly, a car with yellow eyes appeared. "Is that a Heartless? He doesn't look so tough," Karson laughed.

"You imbecile, we are not meant to duel it!" Silke snapped. "Look on its seat!"

Karson craned his head. Sure enough, there was a golden orb laying on the car's seat. "I guess we have to race it. How hard can it be?"

Lyze raised her black-tipped hand. "Guardian was talking about those…it's called a Hot Rod!"

"So it's either full of itself, or real fast," Karson deducted. The Hot Rod sped off, making sparks fly. "Oh. It's real fast, then."

"DRIVE, SAKURA, DRIVE!" Lyze hollered. Silke slammed the pedal, and drove off after the Heartless car, with Karson skimming the pavement by their side.

… … …

"What's taking those guys so long?" Dia wondered, playing catch with a transparent orb.

Emma scratched her head. "It's probably just taking those guys a while to get their orbs…it was pure luck that ours was in those bushes."

Jake was blissfully rolling down the steps. "We should wait a little longer," he suggested, his voice wavering as he rolled over the bumps.

Riku stretched his arms, then left his perch on the top step. "Maybe one of us should just go get the orbs, to make the collecting go faster."

"I'll go," Emma decided. "You guys wait here in case the other groups get back." Before Dia, Jake, or Riku could say otherwise, she was running back down Main Street.

… … …

Emma peeked into a shop. "Sora? Donald? Goofy? Are you here?" She tiptoed in, and gasped. "Guys!"

The trio was sprawled on the floor, amidst burned merchandise boxes. Sora lifted his head up. "Emma? Great, you're here!"

"What happened?" she murmured, helping them up in turn. "Did some Heartless get in here?"

Donald coughed. "The Trickmaster. He blocked the door when we were trying to leave, so we couldn't give you the…Goofy! The orb!"

Goofy pulled the red orb out of his blackened pants. "Here you go, Emma!"

Emma pocketed it, smiling. "We need to get the other three now. Do you think you can walk?"

Sora grinned. "Of course we can! It'll take more than an acrobatic Heartless to-" As soon as he took a step, he grabbed his leg, and whined. "Okay, I was wrong…but we can still help you fight Taylor once you get the orbs!"

"What? No!" Emma shook her head. "You guys are in no condition to fight! Rest here," she ordered.

"But we have to help!"

"No, you don't. Stay!" Emma headed for the door. Once she was in the threshold, she added, "I'll be okay. Don't worry about me. Just rest up."

Sora sighed. "All right. We trust you." Emma nodded and left the store.

… … …

"ROBIN! AXEL! SADYM!" Emma yelled. She looked around Adventureland. "WHERE ARE YOU GUYS? Huh?" A burst of energy flew out from the Swiss Family Treehouse.  _That's a bullet from the Shinku Cannon!_

"Emma!" Sadym waved his machina rifle furiously to get her attention, standing by the treehouse's railing. "We found an orb! Catch!" He hurled the green sphere as far as he could.

 _How does he expect me to catch it from here?_  Emma held her necklace. "WIND'S MASK!" She turned white, and flew up to grasp the orb. "Are you guys okay?"

Axel ran to the Al Bhed's side. "Comparatively, yes. But this Stealth Sneak appeared out of nowhere, and started attacking us!"

"The same thing happened to Sora, Donald, and Goofy!" Emma remarked. "Guardian must really not want us here…"

"Well, 'a course he doesn't want us here!" Robin yelled, shooting bullet after bullet at the large, chameleon-like Heartless. "Just go get the other orbs!"

Emma nodded. "Good luck, guys!" She flew off towards Frontierland.

… … …

"Firaga! Firaga! Firaga!" Bursts of fire came out of Bernie's gloves.

Kairi aimed her Gyene Armlets at the Blizzard Lord. "CRYSTAL FLAME!"

Hart dodged the icicles that the boss flung at her, then stabbed it with her sword. She looked up. "EMMA!"

Emma landed beside the other girls. "What's this guy doing here?"

"Trying to beat the snot out of us," Hart replied indifferently. "Do you have the other orbs already?"

"No, I need to go to Tomorrowland after this. Can I have yours?"

Hart gave her the blue orb. "Hurry up and get the fifth one! We'll hold the Blizzard Lord off!"

"Thanks a lot!" Emma pocketed the fourth orb, and took off again.

… … …

Karson gave a low whistle. "Man, that baby's a fast one!"

Silke swerved their car around the track's corner. "I agree with you wholeheartedly, although I would not put it quite like that."

Emma flew down, and flew alongside the ex-Daimyos. "What's going on?"

"That Hot Rod's got our orb," Lyze told her. "We're trying to catch it, but we're too slow."

"Is that all? You guys are lucky. The other groups are getting their butts handed to them by a bunch of Heartless bosses."

"Ouch," Karson mumbled. "Emma, do you think you can catch it?"

She shrugged and sat on the trunk. "I guess I could…ugh! I ran out of MP!" The white drained from Emma's shirt and eyes. "I knew I should've bought some Ethers while we were in the game…"

Lyze squinted. "Silke, are you up for a kamikaze attack?"

"WHAT?"

"Okay, I said that wrong. If we come at the Hot Rod from different sides when we round the corner, we'll trap it, and Emma can get the orb. But our cars will get scuffed up, and we not might be feeling too good. Plus, if we miss, we won't have another chance."

Silke said nothing for a short period. "Karson?"

"I think Lyze is onto something."

"Emma?"

"If it's alright with you, Silke!"

"Very well. We shall attempt a kamikaze attack." Silke turned the corner at a sharp angle, while Karson took the Hot Rod's other side. "NOW!"

Silke, Lyze, and Karson all slammed into the Heartless. It exploded, as did the car. "Whoa!" Emma jumped off at the last minute. "Did it work?"

Lyze stood up from the debris, and brushed herself off. "Yeah!" She looked around. "Silke? Karson?"

A robotic hand waved from under the car. "Present," came the muffled reply. Karson heaved the car off of him, then shoved the Hot Rod's scrap metal off of Silke. "The gang's all here. Go get Taylor back!" He placed the golden orb in Emma's outstretched hand.

"That's all of them! Can you guys do me a favor?"

Silke picked some charred parts off her sleeve. "We are listening."

"The others are all either fighting or hurt. Can you help them out, then wait with them outside of the Cinderella Castle?"

Lyze gave her a thumbs-up. "You got it. Go on, now!" Emma put the final orb in her pocket, and ran back to the castle.

… … …

"Way to go, Emma!" Dia high-fived Emma as she returned with the orbs. "Is that all of them?"

Emma nodded. "All five," she confirmed.

Riku looked around. "Where are the others?"

"Some Heartless came…they're trying to hold them off while we get Taylor back and defeat Guardian."

"Well, you should put the orbs in before a boss comes!" Jake told her.

Emma took the orbs out of her pocket, then placed the red one in the middle slot. It wouldn't stick. "Why isn't this working?"

Dia shrugged. "Maybe there's a specific combination." Emma put in the topmost slot. It glowed, and stuck. "See, I told you!"

"Now I just have to figure out where the others go." A swooping sound came from behind them. "What was that?"

Riku waved his thickly-gloved hand. "Just concentrate on the orbs. If there's a problem, we'll take care of it." The ground started bubbling with darkness, and the Darkside Heartless came out of it. "Okay, problem. Hurry up, Emma!"

The Darkside swung at Jake, who jumped up and landed on the railing. "Whoa! ANIMATE!" The railing came to life, and Jake rode around the Darkside on it, twirling the Ikiteiru Shield whenever the boss's hand got close enough.

"I'm almost done!" Emma called over her shoulder.

Dia smashed the Darkside's hand with the Shihaii Wand. "So far, so good, then!"

The door glowed white, and disappeared. "We can go in now!" Emma turned around, only to have the Darkside Heartless right in her face. She was frozen with fear as it started charging energy.

"EMMA!" Riku ran forward, then shoved the paralyzed Emma to the ground; the beam hit him instead.

Emma scrambled to her feet. "Riku!" Her hand dove into her pocket, and she brought out a blue bottle. She threw it into the air. "ETHER!" Now that she had her MP back, she gripped her necklace again. "YUKI NAIFU!" Her eyes and shirt turned blue, and she stabbed the Darkside with her trusty dagger. He crumbled to the ground, and disappeared. "Riku, are you okay?" Emma knelt down as the blue drained out, so she was closer to Riku.

Riku rubbed his arm. "Ouch…I guess so." Emma's hand flew to her necklace, but her movement was interrupted by Riku grabbing her wrist. "Go fight Guardian," he implored her. "You can heal me when you come back, but right now, you have to save the U.S.."

Dia and Jake walked over to where the door had been. "He's right, you know," Dia agreed. "Let's go."

"Head on without me. I'll be right there," Emma said. The siblings glanced at each other, then walked through the tunnel. Emma smiled at Riku. "Thanks for taking the hit for me."

Riku shook his head, and smiled back. "You needed to fight Guardian. How could you save this place if you were injured?"

Emma put a hand on Riku's shoulder. "Still…I owe you one." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then sped after Dia and Jake.

Riku just stared straight ahead until Emma was out of earshot. Then, he looked both ways, and quietly cheered, "Yesssss!"

… … …

"Insolent children!" Taylor, still in his cloak, glared at his son and daughter. They were standing in the Cinderella Castle's medieval restaurant, which had been remodeled to look like a battle arena. "You dare to fight me? After you stole all three of my Daimyos, then their replacements as well?"

Dia scoffed. "I hate it when bosses give those big speeches before the fight…get on with it already!"

Guardian materialized behind Taylor. "Never speak to Shogun Quinn in that manner!" he snapped.

Emma ran into the arena. "Did I miss anything?" She looked around. "I guess not." She lowered her voice, then whispered, "Once I hold him down, we're going to sing."

"Fine," Dia grumbled. "I don't like that song, but I guess we have to sing it."

"SUBMIT!" Taylor yelled.

Guardian flew towards Emma, Dia, and Jake, but Emma dodged and clutched her gray stone. "STEEL ANGEL!" She turned gray as well, and summoned the metal pole she had frequently used in her previous adventure. "HYAH!" Slabs of metal fell down, trapping Taylor in a box. "Now, guys!" Dia and Jake stopped attempting to weave around Guardian's attacks, and ran over to their future stepsister. Emma grabbed their hands and pulled them to the top of the box.

_If you ever want to be right here,_

_Just imagine me, and all this will appear_

_You can keep this moment all your life_

_Forever near, a dream worth keeping_

Guardian flew up, and grabbed the three children. "That little witch told you to do this, didn't she?" he demanded.

Dia glared, and took out her Shihaii Wand. "I'm not in the mood to demean you right now. Now, I'm getting serious." The Heartless bosses that had been attacking the other groups appeared, under the possession of Dia. They all proceeded to slash and blast Guardian. "That should keep him occupied for a while."

Emma chuckled. "Thanks, Dia."

_When you're feeling lost, I'll be your star_

_Just reach out and touch me, no matter where you are_

_In a world where precious things are disappearing overnight_

_Just keep my star in sight_

_I believe we've found a dream worth keeping_

_For more than just a day_

_And even though the winds of change may come sweeping,_

_It's still a dream worth keeping_

_Don't let it fade away_

Taylor had been trying furiously to escape his prison, but he suddenly seemed to mellow out a little. His reddish-orange eyes seemed to decrease in intensity, and Emma, Dia, and Jake smiled at each other.

_You may be in some distant land_

_Feeling all alone, then I'll be close at hand_

_And every time you see a rainbow paint the sky behind the rain_

_I'll be here again_

_I believe we've found a dream worth keeping_

_For more than just a day_

_And even though the winds of change may come sweeping,_

_It's still a dream worth keeping_

_Don't let it fade away_

_Someday you might be thinking that life has passed you by_

_Your spirit might be sinking, with hope in short supply_

_That's the reason why_

_That's the reason why love has dreams worth keeping_

_As long as it may stay_

_And even when you see the darkness come creeping_

_It's still a dream worth keeping_

_Don't let it fade away_

Guardian burst out from underneath the pile of bosses. "Shogun Quinn!" he roared. But it was too late.

Emma had caused the metal slabs to disappear, along with the physical effects of the Guard Stone. Taylor looked dazed, and definitely confused. "Emma? Kids? What are doing here?" He surveyed his surroundings. "And for that matter…what am I doing here?"

"Daddy!" Jake cried, hugging Taylor. Even Dia gave her father a little pat.

While they explained the situation to Taylor, Guardian was glaring at Emma. "You…you did this. Well, I suppose I should not have expected less from HIS daughter. I have met my match." After he had finished talking, he disappeared.

The siblings walked back over to Emma. "Well, I don't think we'll be seeing Guardian for a while," Dia remarked proudly.

Emma winced. "HIS daughter? How does Guardian know about my dad?"

"I think he was just trying to psyche you out. Come on, we need to go to Disney Castle!"

… … …

"Your Majesty!" Donald called, banging on the door of Disney Castle. "It's us, Donald and Goofy!"

"And a whole bunch of friends!" Goofy added.

A tiny door opened in the center of the large one. "This is all really confusing…" Taylor murmured.

Jake held his hand. "Don't worry, Daddy! Mickey will get rid of your darkness! Some of it, at least." The Senshi and Taylor walked down the long carpet.

"It's great to see you fellas again!" a high-pitched voice said cheerfully. "There sure are a lot of you, though."

Emma waved. "Good afternoon, Your Majesty. Can you do us a favor?"

Mickey, wearing his Kingdom Hearts II outfit, hopped off of his throne. "You deserve something for sending me back to the castle, Emma, instead of leaving me behind Kingdom Hearts. What do you need?"

She gently pushed Taylor forward. "Guardian decided to use him as a replacement for Ansem, so he's got darkness inside him. Can you fix him?"

"Hmm…I'm not completely sure I can, but I have an idea. Follow me!" He walked past the Senshi, and towards the Audience Chamber. "There's a hidden chamber over here, and if we go in, we might be able to…Eclipse!"

Eclipse had teleported in the doorway just as Mickey and the Senshi made their way over. Eclipse dropped to his knees. "Your Majesty…I've been waiting a long time to meet you again. Six years, to be exact."

Mickey tapped the Nekoshu's shoulder. "Get up, Eclipse! You don't need to do that."

"Er…okay." He stood up. "I promised that I would be a good chief by the next time I saw you…but all I did was lose myself to the darkness in a selfish attempt to get Hart back to normal."

"But you did, didn't you?" Mickey gave Hart a little wave, who waved back. "It wasn't your fault, Eclipse. We're going to get the darkness out of Dia and Jake's dad. Do you want to come too?"

Eclipse nodded happily. "Y-yes, King Mickey!"

… … …

The Senshi, Taylor, and Mickey were standing in a white room. A glowing, green sphere sat on a pedestal in its center. "Hey, this is the Hall of the Cornerstone!" Bernie announced. "I've heard about this place! And that must be the Cornerstone of Light!"

Mickey nodded. "I guess you've done your research! Eclipse, Taylor, put your hands on the Cornerstone."

"Will it get rid of our darkness?" Taylor asked tentatively.

"I…don't really know. But it's worth a try, right?" Taylor put his hand on the Cornerstone of Light. Eclipse took off the open-fingered glove on his right hand, and also pressed it against the Cornerstone. A wave of light ran through them, and they both jerked away. "Did it work?"

Eclipse flexed his fingers. "I feel a lot better."

Taylor looked down at himself. "I feel better too! I think the darkness is all gone!"

Jake jumped up and down. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty! Daddy's back to normal!"

Mickey laughed. "You're welcome."

Dia looked around at the others. "Hey, don't we have a wedding to attend?"

Taylor smacked himself in the head. "How could I forget? Those creatures interrupted our wedding! Where's Alissa?"

"She's in Chicago, safe and sound," Emma assured him. "We should go see her now."

"Yay, a happy ending!" Jake squealed.

… … …

"Do you, Taylor Quinn, take this woman to be your lawfully-wedded wife?"

A week after the events at Disney World, Taylor and Alissa had gotten their wedding back on track. However, instead of a few family members, the Senshi were the sole attendants of the wedding. Emma and Dia were the bridesmaids, and Jake was the best man. "I do," Taylor announced.

Instead of hiring a real-worlder to marry them, Silke brought a man from Hanasekai, to prevent the confusion of having a real-worlder freak out at the sight of several Disney characters, Kingdom Hearts characters, and other unusual people. "And do you, Alissa Baecker, take this man to be your lawfully-wedded husband?"

"I do."

"Then, by the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

While Taylor and Alissa were kissing, their children ran to join their friends. "Isn't this great? The three of you are finally step-siblings!" Sora patted them on the back. "Hey, heads up, girls!"

Alissa tossed her bouquet over her shoulder. It landed in Lyze's arms. "Thanks! Um…why did she throw the bouquet?"

Kairi raised an eyebrow. "They don't do that in Ivalice?" Lyze shook her head, her rabbit ears flapping around. "Well, the bride throws the bouquet, and whoever catches it will supposedly be the next person to get married. It's so cute!"

"Well, THAT'S weird." Lyze disdainfully dropped the bouquet by her feet.

"Bad news for you, Sadym," Riku whispered, suggestively jabbing the Al Bhed with his elbow.

"E't pa funnoehk ypuid so ufh muja meva ev E fana oui," Sadym grumbled back.

Dia put her arms around her little brother and step-sister. "This is all so surreal…we just saved the U.S., saved Eclipse, Hart, Dad, and Alissa…and now our lives are back to normal. Until it's time to play Kingdom Hearts II, anyway. After all of that action…this all seems like a dream."

Emma grinned. "Well, if it is…" The other two grinned back at her, anticipating her next words. "…it's a dream worth keeping."


End file.
